October 1, 2005 - Siena 5 Rider 2

October 1, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Tennis

Men: Siena College 5, Rider University 2

Women: Siena College 7, Rider University 0

 

LAWRENCEVILLE—In college tennis, an estimated 75 percent of all matches are completed in two sets.  “I think it is because in tennis, once the momentum starts going in one direction, it is so hard to change it,” said Rider senior Mike Greenberg of Newtown, PA, who won at third singles in a rare, three-set match against Siena Saturday.

In a long match, Greenberg defeated Chris Auffredou of Siena 6-0, then lost 3-6, before coming back to win 7-6 with a 7-3 tie breaker.  “You certainly can say that was a long one today,” said Greenberg, a 2001 graduate of Council Rock High School. “I haven’t had too many three-setters in my career, but I had one earlier this year and I lost it, so that is why it felt so good today. Especially since the guy I beat today was a better player.”

“I think it might even be closer to 80 percent of the matches are decided in two sets,” said Rider head coach Ed Torres, “but you wouldn’t know it by today. We had three of them today. With all of the three-setters and all of the tie-breakers, it was a strange looking box score today.”

The Siena men defeated Rider 5-2 Saturday, and the Siena women defeated Rider 7-0. Sophomore Bobby Worlow (East Patchogue, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) also won for the Broncs, at sixth singles.

“Mike has improved tremendously every year,” said Torres, “he has a good serve and a good net game.”  “If something doesn’t work, I usually fall back on my serve and forehand,” said Greenberg, “and that is what saved me today. That’s the strongest part of my game.  My serve pulled me out of a mess today.”

“Mike used to concentrate too much on the negative,” said Torres. “He would miss a shot and dwell on it. He has learned to concentrate on what he did well.”

“It isn’t so much the physical aspect of the long matches, it is the mental aspect that is so tough,” said the happy but tired 6’5”, 200 pound Greenberg. “I try to stay in shape, work out a lot. On those long points you have to have it in your head. Today I won 6-0 in about 25 minutes, and the next thing I knew I lost 6-0. Once he got that momentum in the second set I couldn’t stop it. I had to really fight mentally to get it back in the third set. You have to stay so strong mentally. In a three-setter, the mental aspect is so much harder than the physical aspect.”

Like a great sage once said, “90 percent of this game is half mental.”

Rider hosts St. Francis-NY Sunday.

-RU-

Men

Singles

Jeremy Deuel-S def. Ragdee Saberon-R                         6-4, 5-7, 6-0   
Nick Rutherford-S def. Chris Stanco-R                              6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Mike Greenberg-R def. Chris Auffredou-S                        6-0, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3)
Mike Aliotta-S def. Jeremy Finkelson Reece-R                6-0, 7-6 (7-4)
Jose Loren-S def. Jimmy Leone-R                                     6-0, 7-6 (7-4)
Bobby Worlow-R def. Nino Alivodic-S                                6-1, 7-6 (7-1)

Doubles

 Deuel/ Rutherford-S def. Saberon/Stanco-R                     8-3
Aliotta/ Loren-S def. Greenberg/ Finkelson Reece-R        8-4
Auffredou/ Alivodic-S def. Dan Stupp/Tim Eng-R               8-5

Women

Singles

Sarah Mayer-S def. Tanya Cota-R                                        6-0, 6-0
Taylor Baruoets-S  def. Devin Crawbuck-R                          6-4, 6-2
Denisa Hluchoua-S def. Caitlin Crawbuck-R                       6-0, 6-2
Karina Davis-S def. Danielle Morse-R                                  6-2, 6-0
Julia Lebodev-S def. Logan Kapinus-R                                6-1, 6-1
Meghan Slenkamp-S def. Dana Previti-R                             6-3, 6-3

Doubles

Mayer/ Baruoets-S def.  D. Crawbuck/C. Crawbuck-R        8-2
Hluchoua/ Davis-S def.  Cota/ Previti-R                                 8-2
Slenkamp/Langer-S def Kapinus/Kelly Chouinard-R           8-4