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| Junior Mike
Mashkevich came back to win in three sets against
Merrimack and was also named to the All-Championship Team for his efforts |
Skyhawks Capture First Ever NE-10 Championship
Easton, Mass. - The Stonehill men's tennis team captured their first ever NE-10 Tournament Championship with a hard fought 5-3 victory over Merrimack at the Charles Watts Courts on Sunday afternoon.
The Skyhawks came out of the gate playing well, as they captured all three doubles matches. The No. 1 team of sophomore Tim Fayed (Glastonbury, Conn,) and junior Mike Mashkevich (Framingham, Mass.) won 8-2 while seniors Jason Allegretti (lincoln, R.I.) and Will Herchel (Hampden, Mass.) won at No. 2, 8-1.
The No. 3 doubles duo of junior Mike Leone (Catamet, Mass.) and Charlie Sherman (Heloron, Conn.) captured a tight 8-6 win as well.
In singles play Merrimack came out on top of their game, taking the first set in all but No. 5 singles. The Warriors then captured No. 4 singles in straight sets and Sean Pahler came back to take No. 5 singles from Herchel, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Merrimack evened the score at 3 apieace when they took No. 6 singles 6-4, 0-6, 6-3.
Stonehill took a 4-3 lead when Mashkevich finished his comeback at No. 2 singles, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 and Fayed provided the match clinching victory with his three set defeat of Rishi Rajpal, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Head coach Peter Miller was pleased with the play he saw from his team, "I give all the credit to the players, they fought their hearts out and it was a great great college match today."
Fayed, Herchel and Mashkevich were all named to the All-Championship Team for their efforts during the playoff run.
In addition to clinching their first NE-10 Tournament Championship the Skyhawks have extended their school record win streak to 16 games. They have also extended the Stonehill record for victories in a season to 21.
The Skyhawks return to action on May 7, when they participate in the first round of NCAA Tournament play.