Newman posted wins at No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles for the Skyhawks.

Bellio/Newman knock off regionally-ranked doubles pairing to spark win

EASTON, Mass. (April 3, 2018) – Stonehill College picked up a key victory with a 7-2 triumph over Adelphi University in Northeast-10 Conference men's tennis action inside the Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex this afternoon.

Freshman Trent Newman (Old Greenwich, Connecticut/South Burlington) and seniors Nikolay Lisichenok (Danvers, Massachusetts/Danvers) and Tom Buckley (Hebron, Connecticut/RHAM) led the way for Stonehill as double-winners on the afternoon. Newman and senior Thomas Bellio (Saint Joseph, Michigan/Saint Joseph) clinched a 2-1 Stonehill edge after doubles play by knocking off Adelphi senior Matteo Cannavera (Quartu Sant'Elena, Italy) and sophomore Sabin Adrian Saveluc (Bacau, Romania), the ninth-ranked doubles team in the Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Region doubles rankings, 8-6 at the top flight. Newman followed that up by notching a back and forth 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 triumph over Saveluc at No. 2 singles. Bellio also battled Cannavera, the region's eighth-ranked singles player, at No. 1 singles, to three sets, taking the first set 6-4, before being edged 3-6, 4-6 in the second and third.

Lisichenok and Buckley teamed up for an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles for Stonehill. Lisichenok followed that up with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles against Adelphi freshman Luke Attride-Stirling (Hamilton, Bermuda), while Buckley rolled past freshman David Leader (Smith's Parish, Bermuda) 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6. Freshman Russell White (Toronto, Ontario/Saddlebrook Prep (Fla.)) and sophomore Manu Ravichandrakumar (Chennai, India/Saddlebrook Prep (Fla.)) also notched singles wins for Stonehill at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. Ravichandrakumar's win came in a three-set battle as well, taking the opening set 6-3, before being edged 7-4 in a tiebreaker in the second and then taking the third, 6-3 against sophomore Ilya Kalabukhau (Minsk, Belarus).

Attride-Stirling and Kalabukhau earned Adelphi's other point, aside from Cannavara's point at No. 1 singles, with their 8-5 decision at No. 2 doubles for the Panthers.

Stonehill (8-6, 2-3 NE10) visits Division I College of the Holy Cross on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home to host Saint Michael's College on Saturday at 1 p.m. Adelphi (2-8, 2-3 NE10) hosts Franklin Pierce University on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

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