WILKES MEN’S TENNIS COMPLETES DAY ONE OF MAC INDIVIDUAL TOURNAMENT

10/11/2014 7:45:00 PM

WILKES MEN'S TENNIS COMPLETES DAY ONE OF MAC INDIVIDUAL TOURNAMENT

EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University men's tennis team finished day one action at the Middle Atlantic Conference Individual Tournament Saturday at the Ralston Athletic Complex and Kirby Park courts.

Wilkes saw two players in each of the first six singles flights reach the semifinals. At No. 1 Steven Wilson (Bronx, NY/JFK) and Max Appello (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) both advanced to the semifinals. Wilson, the top seed, claimed a 6-2, 6-4 win over Messiah's Michael Brookhart in the quarterfinals. Appello scored an 8-0 win in the first round and 6-0, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals to reach Sunday's semifinal action.

At No. 2, Michael Kranz (Depew, NY/Lancaster Central) and Dominic Parfianowicz (Elmira, NY/Elmira Free Academy) both moved onto semifinal play. Kranz, the brackets top seed, earned a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Stevenson's Bryan Geiselman in the quarterfinals. Third-seeded Parfianowicz scored a 6-2, 6-0 win over Arcadia's Alex Colton in the quarters.

Adam Lefkandinos (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) and Troy Haas (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) cruised through to the semifinals at No. 3 singles. The top seed Lefkandinos went straight set 6-0, 6-0 over Wes Wei of Arcadia while Haas picked up an 8-0 win in the first round and 6-0, 6-1 victory over Lycoming's Joe Amento in the quarterfinals.

At No. 4, Brendon Blachowski (Newtown, PA /Council Rock North) and rookie Andrew Neidig (Matamoras, PA/Delaware Valley) both moved onto the semifinals. Blachowski received a bye then went 6-1, 6-1 over Stevenson's Peter Hoblitzell to reach the semis. Neidig scored to wins recording an 8-4 first round victory followed by a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the quarters.

Brian Murray (Brooklyn, NY/Leon M. Goldstein) and Collin Strunk (Blakeslee, PA/Pocono Mountain West) combined for four wins to reach the semifinals at No. 5 singles. Both recorded straight set wins in the first round and quarterfinals.

Rookie Artyom Nabokin (Danvers, MA/Danvers) and Dan Hackford rounded out the semifinalist for Wilkes at No. 6 singles. Nabokin went 8-1 in the first round followed by a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Messiah's Michael Kovacs in the quarterfinals. Hackford scored an 8-1 decision in the first round then went 6-2, 6-3 over Misericordia's Nick Hendry in the quarterfinals.

At No. 7 singles, Gabriel Velez (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic), Will Miller (Elmira, NY/Elmira Free Academy) and Throy Austero (Maywood, NJ/Ridgefield Park) all moved onto the quarterfinals with super set wins for Wilkes.

In doubles competition, Wilkes again saw two pairs of teams reach each semifinal round of the first three flights.

The Parfianowicz brothers reached the semifinal round at No. 1 doubles with an 8-1 win in the quarters while Wilson/Lefkandinos also advanced with an 8-5 decision.

Kranz/Blachowski and Appello/Haas both advanced to the semifinals of No. 2 doubles. Both cruised in the quarterfinals taking 8-0 decisions.

Murray/Strunk and Neidig/Nabokin also moved onto the semifinals with 8-4 and 8-1 wins in quarterfinal play respectively at No. 3 pairs.

Miller/Velez remain alive in the No. 4 doubles flight receiving a bye in the first round. The duo will compete in the semifinals on Sunday morning.

Day two action begins at 10:00 a.m. Sunday.

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