April
29, 2007
#13 Blue Jays Fly Over Fords in Centennial Championship, 5-1
BALTIMORE, MD - Top-seeded Johns Hopkins,
ranked 13th in Division III and third in the Atlantic South Region,
defeated second-seeded Haverford, ranked eighth in the Atlantic
South,5-1, in the Centennial Conference Men's Tennis Championship
match Sunday afternoon in Baltimore. Sophomore Evan Stiegel registered
the Fords lone team point with a 6-2, 6-1 win over the Blue Jays
Dan Myers at No. 4. singles. Haverford's postseason future will
be determined on Monday, as the team can advance to the NCAA postseason
tournament with an at-large bid. Haverford drops to 11-4 overall
with the loss while Johns Hopkins will head into the NCAA Tournament
with a 17-2 overall mark.
Rafael Robert and Matt Naftilan recorded Hopkins first point of
the day with an 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles over Evan Stiegel and
Marc Rudolph. David Maldow and Dan Myers followed with a 8-4 win
at No. 2 over the team of senior co-captain Elmar Trust and Marc
Adelberg. Hillen Smith and Joe Vasoontara, ranked tenth in the
region in doubles, completed the doubles sweep over Haverford
with a 8-2 victory over Alex Buxbaum and Tom Kinrade, ranked ninth
in the Atlantic South, at No. 2 doubles.
Stiegel pulled the Fords within 3-1
with his 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles over Myers, but the Blue
Jays Larry Wei held off a furious second set comeback by Trust
and hung on to the 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 3 singles to make the score
4-1. Vasoontara, ranked 22nd in the region in singles, won his
first set against Kinrade at No 2 singles, 6-1. With Kinrade up
5-2 in the second set, Vasoontara rallied and won the second set,
7-6 (10-8), securing the CC crown for Hopkins. The match was called
upon decision per Centennial Conference Tournament rules.
Haverford will find out its team fate on Monday when the NCAA
makes its at-large selections. Haverford will also wait for word
on who will compete in the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Singles
& Doubles Championships.
