Jan. 23, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 23 Auburn men's tennis team kicked off the spring season at the Hokie Challenge Friday and took 10 of 12 matches from Harvard on the campus of Virginia Tech.
"Overall, it was a good effort on day one by the team," head coach Eric Shore said. "We have a lot of new faces this year and I'm very happy with how the first competition of the spring panned out. We want to carry the success we had over Harvard into the rest of the weekend and come away with some big wins."
The young squad, featuring five freshmen, won two of the three doubles matches against the Crimson. The sixth-ranked doubles team of Tim Puetz and Alex Stamchev battled Aba Omedele-Lucien and Christo Schultz, taking the 8-6 win.
Freshmen Andreas Mies and Oliver Strecker picked up an 8-5 win over Alexei Chijoff-Evans and Davis Mangham, while Alexander Sajonz and Michel Monteiro won a tight match against Josh Tchan and Michael Hayes, 9-7.
In Flight B doubles, freshmen Tim Hewitt and Lucas Lopasso fell to Alistair Felton and Andy Nguyen in a very close battle, 9-8 (2).
The Tigers captured seven of the eight singles matches, starting with a straight-set win for No. 24 Tim Puetz over Chijoff-Evans, 6-3, 6-2. In Flight B, No. 86 Alex Stamchev followed with another Auburn straight-set win, defeating Omodelle-Lucien 6-3, 6-4.
First-year Tim Hewitt recorded his first collegiate win by coming away with the 6-3, 7-5 victory over Nguyen in Flight C. After winning a close 7-5 first set in Flight E, Andreas Mies easily defeated Felton to take the second set 6-0.
Also earning their first collegiate victories were Alexander Sajonz and Oliver Strecker. Sajonz claimed a 6-3, 6-4 win over Schultz in Flight F, while Strecker topped Mangham in a close 7-6 (4), 6-4 match. After dropping set one 3-6, redshirt junior Nick Maurillo battled back to defeat Hayes in the last two sets, 6-4, 6-2.
Auburn continues play at the Hokie Challenge, facing host No. 27 Virginia Tech at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
HOKIE CHALLENGE - DAY ONE RESULTS
Singles
Flight A
#24 Tim Puetz (Auburn) def. Alexei Chijoff-Evans (Harvard); 6-3, 6-2
Flight B
#86 Alex Stamchev (Auburn) def. Aba Omodelle-Lucien (Harvard); 6-3, 6-4
Flight C
Tim Hewitt (Auburn) def. Andy Nguyen (Harvard); 6-3, 7-5
Flight D
John Tchan (Harvard) def. Lucas Lopasso (Auburn); 6-4, 6-3
Flight E
Andreas Mies (Auburn) def. Alistair Felton (Harvard); 7-5, 6-0
Flight F
Alexander Sajonz (Auburn) def. Christo Shultz (Harvard); 6-3, 6-4
Flight G
Nick Maurillo (Auburn) def. Michael Hayes (Harvard); 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
Flight H
Oliver Strecker (Auburn) def. Davis Mangham (Harvard); 7-6(4), 6-4
Doubles
Flight A
#6 Puetz/Stamchev (Auburn) def. Omedele-Lucien/Schultz (Harvard); 8-6
Flight B
Felton/Nguyen (Harvard) def. Hewitt/Lopasso (Auburn); 9-8(2)
Flight C
Mies/Strecker (Auburn) def. Chijoff-Evans/Mangham (Harvard); 8-5
Flight D
Sajonz/Monteiro (Auburn) def. Tchan/Hayes (Harvard); 9-7