WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Williams men's tennis closed out the regular season with an 8-1 triumph over Amherst. The Ephs displayed another strong doubles performance as they went into the singles play with a 3-0 lead. Despite some early challenges during the singles play, the Ephs maintained their composure to find a way to win five out of the six matches.
The Ephs were clutch towards the end of the doubles play. At the 1 spot, sophomore
Shawn Berdia tracked down every ball that came his way. Junior
Matt Kandel served brilliantly to seal the match 8-5. At the 2 spot, first year duo
Jason Shuler and
Nicholas Chen closed out the match, lacing forehand returns off of both first and second serves. At the 3 spot, first year
Simon Volkema and sophomore
Andrew Chong played impressive tennis at the net to earn the Ephs the 3-0 lead.
In the singles, Chong was defeated in straight sets to cut the lead to 3-1. Senior
Karan Amin restored the three-point lead with a straight set win of his own. Kandel clinched the match with a 7-6(10), 6-2 victory. After dropping the first set, Berdia fought back to win 2-6, 7-6, 6-4. Shuler earned himself a 6-3, 7-5 win at the 2 spot as he showcased a splendid serving performance. Volkema also fought back from a set down to win 12-10 in the super tiebreaker.
Williams men's tennis ends the regular season with a record of 13-3 (8-2 NESCAC). The Ephs will host the NESCAC tournament this Friday.
Doubles
1) Kandel/Berdia (WIL) def. Opie/Ellenbogen (AMH) 8-5
2) Chen/Shuler (WIL) def. Esterowitz/Rhinelander (AMH) 8-5
3) Chong/Volkema (WIL) def. Chepuri/Ostrow (AMH) 8-4
Singles
1) Kandel (WIL) def. Opie (AMH) 7-6, 6-2
2) Shuler (WIL) def. Ellenbogen (AMH) 6-3, 7-5
3) Berdia (WIL) def. Esterowitz (AMH) 2-6, 7-6, 6-4
4) Volkema (WIL) def. Chuperi (AMH) 4-6, 6-3, 12-10
5) Jangbahadur (AMH) def. Chong (WIL) 6-1, 6-4
6) Amin (WIL) def. Elias (AMH) 6-2, 6-1
