Bellio (right) and Newman posted their second win over a regionally-ranked doubles team this season today. |
Hernandez and Barton lead Dolphins to eighth-straight win
DEWITT, N.Y. (April 11, 2018) – Le Moyne College, ranked No. 7 in this week's NCAA Division II East Regional rankings and No. 8 in the latest Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Region rankings, swept singles play to lock up an 8-1 victory over Stonehill College in Northeast-10 Conference men's tennis action at Elevate Fitness Club this afternoon.
Senior Jason Barton (Lima, Ohio/Shawnee) and juniors Andres Hernandez (Monterrey, Mexico) and Xavier Graells (Castellar Del Valles, Spain) led Le Moyne to its eighth-straight win as double-winners today. Barton and Hernandez teamed up for an 8-5 win at No. 2 doubles and then Hernandez provided the match clinching point by battling back from a set down against Stonehill freshman Trent Newman (Old Greenwich, Connecticut/South Burlington) for a 1-6, 6-3, 10-3 triumph at No. 2 singles. Barton cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 4 singles against sophomore Manu Ravichandrakumar (Chennai, India/Saddlebrook Prep (Fla.)).
Graells combined with junior Tyler Underwood (Minoa, New York/East Syracuse-Minoa) to clinch a 2-1 edge for Le Moyne following doubles play with their 8-5 win at No. 3. Graells followed that up with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 win at No. 3 singles against Stonehill freshman Russell White (Toronto, Ontario/Saddlebrook Prep (Fla.)). Underwood was also a double-winner for the Dolphins with his straight sets win at No. 6 singles.
Newman and senior Thomas Bellio (Saint Joseph, Michigan/Saint Joseph) knocked off their second regionally-ranked doubles opponent of the season to improve to 11-2 as a pairing this spring, including 4-2 in the NE10, to provide a point for Stonehill. They edged past Le Moyne senior Hallam Doney (Andover, England) and sophomore Philip Blythe (Edinburgh, Scotland), the fifth-ranked doubles team in the latest Oracle/ITA East Regional rankings, 9-7.
Stonehill (9-8, 3-5 NE10) closes out the regular season on Friday, when it visits Assumption College for a must-win NE10 match at 3:30 p.m. The Skyhawks need a win and two losses from Adelphi University in its final two NE10 matches, both against regionally-ranked opponents, to clinch a return to the NE10 Tournament next week. Le Moyne (11-4, 7-2 NE10) hosts University of the Sciences on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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