Wild weekend caps off men's tennis home schedule

With the whole squad watching, junior Sebastian Ionescu held the fate of the men's tennis team's match against Western Michigan on his racket with a winner-take-all third-set tiebreaker.

In the game's final hit, Ionescu connected on a return volley. The ball tipped over the top of the net and barely stayed in play. He was promptly swarmed by his teammates, capping off the victory for the No. 72 Bulls (11-5, 1-1 Mid-American Conference).

The Bulls defeated both Binghamton (10-8) and Western Michigan (11-9, 0-2 MAC) by scores of 4-3 this weekend at the Miller Tennis Center for their final home matches of the season. Sunday was Senior Day for the Bulls, as they honored seniors Jason Shkodnik and Jason Simon before the match.

"I've played better matches," Ionescu said. "The reason I won is I played with my heart. I played for our team and for each other. We love each other [on the team] and especially today ... both [Shkodnik and Simon], they're unbelievable guys."

The Bulls fell at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles before the third doubles match was completed Sunday. Before this weekend, Buffalo was just 1-5 when losing the doubles point.

Buffalo trailed the match 3-2 before Ionescu and junior Damein David claimed singles victories to complete the Bulls' comeback.

In a must-win No. 1 singles match for Buffalo, David defeated the Broncos' Nadin Indre in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, to tie the match at 3. Shortly after David's victory, Ionescu delivered a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 victory in second singles for the decisive fourth Buffalo victory.

Head coach Lee Nickell praised the leadership of seniors Shkodnik and Simon in front a crowd of fans in the lobby of the Miller Tennis Center before the match. .

"These two guys - Jason Simon and Yevgeniy Jason Shkodinik - have been the best leaders I've had in my years coaching," Nickell said. "They took a chance on us and helped lift a moribund program."

After the match, Shkodnik was appreciative of the way the Bulls played for him and Simon, in what was the pair's final home match of their UB careers.

"[Each player] fought for myself and Simon and the whole team," Shkodnik said. "It's been three and a half years [at UB]. Coach Nickell's like a father ... Buffalo's a sleeping giant. People just don't know about it."

The Bulls rallied on Friday in singles competition with the help of David and Ionescu. After Buffalo lost the doubles point, Ionescu defeated his opponent in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2, to tie the match back up at one.

After victories by sophomores Sergio Arevalillio and Akhil Mehta, David clinched the match at No. 1 singles, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

The Bulls close out the regular season with two road matches. Buffalo faces Northern Illinois (15-5, 2-0 MAC) April 18 and Ball State (8-11, 1-1 MAC) April 20.

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