Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Tennis to Tangle with George Mason, Navy
3/20/2013 8:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 20, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Back from Puerto Rico, Bucknell men's tennis had to play a shuffling game when its match with Mount St. Mary's was postponed for snow. The Bison (6-4) now turn their attention to meetings with George Mason at 2:30 on Friday in Fairfax, Va., and Navy at 10 a.m. on Saturday in Annapolis, Md. The bout with the Midshipmen will be the first of the Patriot League slate for the Bison, which have won five of their last seven matches this spring.
Bucknell's two most recent victories came against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras over Spring Break. Josh Katten had the clinching singles victory to give the team each of those wins. The Bison also swept doubles play against both opponents.
Although Bucknell defeated Puerto Rico-Mayaguez by a score of 6-1, the match was not a guarantee. Three singles matches, including one exhibition, went to super tie breaks and three of the four doubles matches played were decided by scores of 8-6 or 9-8. Bucknell has had its share of success in three-set matches and super tie breaks this spring. In singles duals matches, the Bison are 6-8 as a team.
Among those with multiple wins in super tie breaks is Ryan Marcil. The junior rejoined the team recently and played his first matches of the year in Puerto Rico. Marcil is now 3-0 in singles, including 2-0 after splitting the first two sets, and 2-0 in doubles.
Katten, Evan Zimmer and Kelly Morque have slightly more established records than their younger teammate, particularly in doubles. The senior captains rank in the top 10 in program history in wins with Katten in second (74-41), Zimmer in third (72-36) and Morque in seventh (63-47). The veteran trio's success marks the first time in program history that three Bison on the same team have had 60 or more career doubles records at the same time. Others have come close, not surprisingly as recent as last year. Gregg Cohenca finished his career with 70 doubles victories, but Katten (58) and Zimmer (56) closed out the season just shy of 60.
Also not surprisingly, Katten, Zimmer and Morque have spent a fair amount of time teaming up with each other over the years. The Katten/Zimmer tandem has a 33-11 record, including 8-4 this season. Morque/Katten is 32-19 overall and 3-2 this season. Morque/Zimmer is the only pairing that has been used in recent duals, but it is also the least used overall. The duo teamed up eight times as freshmen and is now 6-4 this year. They have a career record of 8-10 together.
George Mason has won four of its last five matches, improving its record to 8-4 on the year. The lone loss in that stretch was also its most recent outing, a 5-2 defeat at the hands of South Carolina State. Before that, the Patriots beat Niagara (4-1), Denison (6-1), Michigan Tech (6-1) and Limestone College (6-1). Earlier in the season George Mason met with Navy. The Patriots defeated the Mids 4-2 on Feb. 23. They also beat the Naval Academy 8-1 at the Navy Gold Invite in October.
Bucknell is 1-1 all-time against George Mason. The win came in 1989 before the series went on hiatus until last spring. The Patriots won that 2012 meeting, 4-3. The Bison won the doubles point, thanks in part to Zimmer and Katten winning at the No. 2 spot in the lineup. The victory gave Zimmer his 25th doubles win of the year on his way to breaking the school's single-season record. Morque and Kyle Rosen then gave Bucknell their only singles wins on the day.
Bucknell and Navy have squared off considerably more often, and all 36 matches have gone the way of the Mids. The Bison have been drawing closer lately, however. They have won the doubles point twice in series history, once in 2010 and again last spring, and have scored more than one point against the Mids just three times since 2000.
Navy won the 2012 regular-season meeting 4-3. The Midshipmen were more dominant in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals where they won 4-1. Bucknell again won the doubles point but could not hang on in singles.
Navy has continued its strong play from last season, which ended with its berth in the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Mids are 12-8 overall and have won three of their last five. Victories during that stretch have come against Mount St. Mary's (6-1), Maryland-Eastern Shore (5-0) and Morgan State (6-1) with the most recent outing ending in a 5-2 loss to Georgetown. Navy is 12-0 when playing at home this season, and 0-6 on the road.
Bucknell will get its shot at Mount St. Mary's on March 27. The Bison will host The Mount at 3 p.m. at the Varsity Tennis Courts. They will then face Villanova at 3 p.m. the following day in a second straight home match.
