April 13, 2009
THRILLING COMEBACK HELPS MEN'S
TENNIS TAKE DOWN
SACRED HEART, 4-3, MONDAY
SMITHFIELD, R.I.- After falling behind 3-0 through the first three points of the match, the Bryant men's tennis team rattled off four-straight wins to take down Sacred Heart, 4-3, at the
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| Cristian Balestrieri (above) came out on top in a three-set thriller |
Bryant Tennis Complex on Monday. It was one of the more impressive victories for the Bulldogs, as the Pioneers came into the match holding the second seed in the Northeast Conference.
The Bulldogs lost the doubles point, losing two of the three doubles matches. Jose Rodriguez (Trujillo, Peru) and Zehn Laliwala (Bagalore, India) picked up the lone doubles victory, winning 8-2 over Kirill Kasyanov and Cole Conrad.
After losing the first two singles matches to trail 3-0 overall, the Bulldogs started to mount their comeback. Kevin Gardiner (Powder Springs, Ga.) picked up the first win, grabbing a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jinal Shah. Nicholai Hill (Ottawa, Ontario) followed suit with a solid, 6-3, 6-3, win over Jacob Miller in number six singles.
Trailing 3-2 with two matches left, all eyes were on the front two courts where first and second singles were in action. The Pioneers boast two of the top five players in the conference in Kirill Kasyanov and Adam Gart, with Kasyanov being arguably the best overall in the NEC. Rodriguez matched up with Gart in second singles, taking one of the best wins of his career, winning a hard-fought, 6-4, 7-5 match.
A big crowd formed around the first court for the match-up between Cristian Balestrieri (Mar Del Plata, Argentina) and Kasyanov, in what proved to be the match of the day. Balestrieri forced a first set tiebreaker, breaking Kasyanov's serve to tie the set at 6-6. The two players went back-and-forth in the tiebreak, with one gaining the advantage and then the other. Kasyanov came out on top 13-11 to take the first set. But Balestrieri fought back with vengeance, winning back-to-back games in the second set after falling behind 1-0. The sophomore would take the second set, 6-3, to tie the match at one set apiece.
Battling cramps all day, Balestrieri took early command of the third set, winning the first two games before Kasyanov took the third, trailing 2-1. The two opponents stayed on serve for the next two games, and Balestrieri came up with a big break in the seventh game, taking control with a 5-2 lead and having a chance to serve for the match. The native of Argentina did not waste any time, winning five-straight points to take the game and the match for the Bulldogs.
"To come back and win four-straight matches after trailing 3-0 is huge. This is one of the top teams in the conference and I can't say enough about the character our guys showed," said head coach Ron Gendron.
Bryant improved to .500 on the season with the win, boasting an 8-8 record.
The team will be in for another challenge on Tuesday, as they travel to play a tough Fairfield squad (3 p.m.).
Sacred Heart University vs Bryant University
Apr 13, 2009 at Smithfield, RI
(Bryant Tennis Complex)
Bryant University 4, Sacred Heart University 3
Singles competition
1. Cristian Balestrieri (BRYANT) def. Kirill Kasyanov (SHU) 6-7
(11-13), 6-3, 6-2
2. Jose Rodriguez (BRYANT) def. Adam Gart (SHU) 6-4, 7-5
3. Nick Mazzarese (SHU) def. Dylan Whiting (BRYANT) 6-2, 6-3
4. Kevin Gardiner (BRYANT) def. Jinal Shah (SHU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Mike Syer (SHU) def. Tom Nowak (BRYANT) 6-2, 6-1
6. Nicholai Hill (BRYANT) def. Jacob Miller (SHU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Adam Gart/Mike Syer (SHU) def. Dylan Whiting/Nicholai Hill
(BRYANT) 8-5
2. Jose Rodriguez/Zehn Laliwala (BRYANT) def. Kirill Kasyanov/Cole
Conrad (SHU) 8-2
3. Nick Mazzarese/Jinal Shah (SHU) def. Kevin Gardiner/Tom Nowak
(BRYANT) 8-6
