Friday, April 21
Hamilton, N.Y.
10:45 a.m.
Bucknell University
4
vs
2
Lehigh (PL Quarterfinals)
Photo by: Olivia Hokanson
Men’s Tennis Knocks off Lehigh 4-2 in Patriot League Tournament Quarterfinal Round
4/21/2023 4:32:00 PM | Men's Tennis
HAMILTON, N.Y. – Senior Nick Mueller avenged two losses to Lehigh from six days earlier, and freshman Brendan McDonald earned the match-clinching point at No. 4 singles to lift the fifth-seeded Bucknell men's tennis team to a 4-2 win over No. 4 Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal round on Friday at Colgate's J.W. Abrahamson Tennis Courts. The Bison will now face top-seeded Navy in the semifinals for the second straight year, and with high winds in the forecast, that match will move indoors to Drumlins Tennis Center on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Bucknell and Lehigh clashed for the second time in less than a week, with Lehigh winning 4-3 in Bethlehem last Saturday. Mueller and classmate Michael Owen lost their No. 1 doubles match to Matt Kleiman and Marc Blekhman that time around, but on Friday they flipped the script with a 6-3 win that clinched the all-important doubles point for the Bison after the freshman tandem of Amar Tahirovic and Oscar Bain Moreno de Vega had already breezed to a 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles. Mueller and Owen fell behind 1-3 before winning five straight games to take over the match.
Winning the doubles point was even more critical, as the Bison were playing without regular starter Tim Zelikovsky due to illness. His replacement, Ink Chen, dropped his match at No. 6 singles, but Mueller put the Bison back in front with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Jeremy Learner at No. 2. Learner came from a set down to beat Mueller last week.
Blekhman defeated Owen at No. 3 singles to level the match, but that rookie duo of Bain and McDonald came up big in their first career postseason appearances and helped Bucknell snap a five-match series losing streak to the Mountain Hawks (11-10).
Bain was a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Jackson Morash at No. 5 singles, and then McDonald ended it with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Jordan Paul on Court 4. McDonald earned his 20th singles win of the season and avenged a three-set loss to Paul last week.
Now 15-7 on the season, Bucknell will take on Navy for the second time this season. The Midshipmen, who dispatched No. 8 seed Loyola 4-0 in the first quarterfinal match of the day, defeated the Bison 5-2 in Lewisburg on Apr. 8. Bucknell has never beaten Navy in 48 all-time meetings, but that was a close contest that was up for grabs with two three-set matches remaining on the courts.
Bucknell and Lehigh clashed for the second time in less than a week, with Lehigh winning 4-3 in Bethlehem last Saturday. Mueller and classmate Michael Owen lost their No. 1 doubles match to Matt Kleiman and Marc Blekhman that time around, but on Friday they flipped the script with a 6-3 win that clinched the all-important doubles point for the Bison after the freshman tandem of Amar Tahirovic and Oscar Bain Moreno de Vega had already breezed to a 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles. Mueller and Owen fell behind 1-3 before winning five straight games to take over the match.
Winning the doubles point was even more critical, as the Bison were playing without regular starter Tim Zelikovsky due to illness. His replacement, Ink Chen, dropped his match at No. 6 singles, but Mueller put the Bison back in front with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Jeremy Learner at No. 2. Learner came from a set down to beat Mueller last week.
Blekhman defeated Owen at No. 3 singles to level the match, but that rookie duo of Bain and McDonald came up big in their first career postseason appearances and helped Bucknell snap a five-match series losing streak to the Mountain Hawks (11-10).
Bain was a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Jackson Morash at No. 5 singles, and then McDonald ended it with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Jordan Paul on Court 4. McDonald earned his 20th singles win of the season and avenged a three-set loss to Paul last week.
Now 15-7 on the season, Bucknell will take on Navy for the second time this season. The Midshipmen, who dispatched No. 8 seed Loyola 4-0 in the first quarterfinal match of the day, defeated the Bison 5-2 in Lewisburg on Apr. 8. Bucknell has never beaten Navy in 48 all-time meetings, but that was a close contest that was up for grabs with two three-set matches remaining on the courts.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
1234
742UF
Matt Kleiman / 0 [LEH]
6610
#2 Singles Match
12
66
Jeremy Learner / 0 [LEH]
43
#3 Singles Match
12
22
Marc Blekhman / 0 [LEH]
66
#4 Singles Match
12
67
Jordan Paul / 0 [LEH]
45
#5 Singles Match
12
77
Jason Morash / 0 [LEH]
55
#6 Singles Match
12
31
Wyeth Anziotti / 0 [LEH]
66
Order of Finish:
6,2,3,5,4
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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