The UB men's tennis team made the road trip down to Olean last weekend, and on the way picked up some souvenirs to put up on the mantle.
Four Buffalo men's tennis players earned individual champion honors last weekend at the St. Bonaventure Fall Classic. Junior Randy Rocchio, senior Rangga Prayudha, and freshmen Mike Rockman and Albert Alant all went undefeated, winning all three of their matches to lead the Bulls in their first tournament of the 2003-04 season.
Team captains and Juniors Nick Zieziula and Josh Liederman also had strong showings, going 2-1 in singles play on the weekend.
"The results were absolutely incredible," said head coach Russ Crispell. "I use competition against St. Bonaventure as a measuring stick as to how the team will compete during the season and this particular year we had the best results ever."
Crispell said he was excited about the huge impact that his two starting freshmen made on opponents over the weekend, especially the success that Rockman had at number one singles in his collegiate debut, beating defending Atlantic-10 player of the year and Davis Cup competitor Mario Arce of St. Bonaventure in Sunday's final.
"His on-court demeanor and mental toughness are absolutely incredible," said Crispell. "(Arce) represents his country and my kid beat him 6-2, 7-5 ... It was huge."
UB also had a strong showing in doubles competition. Zieziula and Alant teamed up and went undefeated, steamrolling through competition from Youngstown State and Niagara en route to beating St. Bonaventure's Sajeel Quershi and Dan Stankovic 8-3 in Sunday's final.
The duo of Rocchio and Rockman also scored convincing victories on Saturday over teams from Youngstown State and Niagara, but came up short in Sunday's final, falling to St. Bonaventure's Nikhil Murali and Alejandro Nery 8-4.
"We were clearly the best team there this weekend," said Crispell, who called the team's early success a "step in the right direction."
Next up for the Bulls is the Dartmouth Invitational this weekend. This will mark the first time that the team has ever scored an invite to the prestigious tournament.
"This is a clear sign that Buffalo Tennis is on the rise," said Crispell.
UB and Niagara University also co-host the Can-Am tournament next weekend. The tournament takes place at the UB tennis center next to Ellicott on Friday. The Bulls face off against strong competition from Dartmouth, Boston College and Army, beginning on Friday the 26th.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
