Men's Tennis Battles Past Franklin Pierce, 5-4

Franklin Pierce

Stonehill

Doubles

James Bisazza / Andrew Schadt (FPU)
def. Thomas Bellio / Nikolay Lisichenok (STO)

8-5

Yuval Barak / Marcus Lawrence (FPU)
def. ManuRavichandrakumar / Tom Buckley (STO)

8-5

Matthew Toombs / Olivier Viel (FPU)
def. Jeffrey Gagnon / Dimitri Vlassov (STO)

8-6

Singles

Thomas Bellio (STO)
def. James Bisazza (FPU)

6-2, 6-3

Nikolay Lisichenok (STO)
def. Yuval Barak (FPU)

1-6, 6-2, 7-5

ManuRavichandrakumar (STO)
def. Andrew Schadt (FPU)

6-4, 5-7, 6-4

Tom Buckley (STO)
def. Marcus Lawrence (FPU)

6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 6-2

Matthew Toombs (FPU)
def. Jeffrey Gagnon (STO)

6-4, 5-7, 6-3

Dimitri Vlassov (STO)
def. Olivier Viel (FPU)

2-6, 6-3, 6-4

full stats

Vlassov clinched the comeback win with a come from behind three-set win of his own at No. 6 singles.

Vlassov caps comeback win with come from behind three-set win at No. 6 singles

EASTON, Mass. (April 6, 2017) – Stonehill College fought its way out of an 0-3 hole after doubles play to claim a dramatic 5-4 triumph over Franklin Pierce University in Northeast-10 Conference men's tennis action inside Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex today.

After Franklin Pierce swept the three doubles matches, Stonehill started its rally as junior co-captain Thomas Bellio (Saint Joseph, Michigan/Saint Joseph) won the only singles match solved in two sets with his 6-2, 6-3 decision over Ravens sophomore James Bisazza (West Barnstable, Massachusetts/Barnstable). Classmates Tom Buckley (Hebron, Connecticut/RHAM) and Nikolay Lisichenok (Danvers, Massachusetts/Danvers) both rallied from a set down to claim wins in quick succession at No. 4 and No. 2 singles, respectively, to level the match at 3-3. Buckley edged sophomore Marcus Lawrence (Acton, Massachusetts/Acton-Boxborough) 6-7 (7-1), 6-4, 6-2 at No. 4 and then Lisichenok rallied from dropping the first set 6-1, to take the next two 6-2, 7-5 against freshman Yuval Barak (Zicron Ya'akov, Israel) at No. 2.

Freshman Matthew Toombs (Pleasanton, California/The Winchendon School) pulled Franklin Pierce back in front and within a point of the win with his back and forth 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win at No. 5 singles against Stonehill junior Jeffrey Gagnon (Providence, Rhode Island/The Wheeler School). Toombs was a double-winner for the Ravens, combining with junior Olivier Viel (Quebec City, Quebec/Seminaire St. Francois), for a come-from-behind 8-6 win at No. 3 doubles to clinch the doubles sweep.

Stonehill's two youngest players in the lineup completed the comeback as freshman Manu Ravichandrakumar (Chennai, India/Saddlebrook Prep (Fla.)) battled past sophomore Andrew Schadt (Tolland, Connecticut/Tolland) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at No. 3 singles to even the match at 4-4. Sophomore Dimitri Vlassov (Marblehead, Massachusetts/Marblehead) capped the rally with a comeback of his own against Viel at No. 6 singles, bouncing back from a 2-6 first set to take the next two 6-3, 6-4.

Stonehill (5-6, 3-2 NE10) is back on the courts on Saturday when it hosts Saint Anselm College for an NE10 match at Charles Watt Tennis Courts at noon. Franklin Pierce (2-11, 1-4 NE10) hosts regionally-ranked Merrimack College on Saturday at noon.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.