The Georgetown men's tennis team played their final dual match of the regular season against BIG EAST Conference rival West Virginia at the McDonough Courts on the Georgetown campus. The Hoyas turned the Mountaineers away with a decisive 5-2 victory.
In the doubles competition, the Hoyas received outstanding play from the team of Ken Jordan (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) and Jay Brupbacher (So., Sparta, N.J./P. John XXIII) who defeated Esposito and Anderson, 8-5, at #3 doubles. At #2 doubles the Hoya tandem of Marc Lohser (So., Woodbury, N.Y./Syosset) and Dennis Cravedi (Fr., Bethesda, Md./Georgetown Prep) hung on for a 9-8 (7) win against Paschalides and Marchetti. The Hoyas #1 team was not as fortunate, as Nick Sklavounos (Jr., Waterford, Conn./Waterford) and Michael Nelson (Fr., Trinidad & Tobago/Port-of-Spain) fell to Tatishvili and Raux 8-6. Georgetown won the team point for the doubles competition by winning two of the three doubles matches.
Holding a 1-0 lead as singles began, Georgetown played with focus and determination. Mike Nelson was the first Hoya to finish as he won the #6 singles match over Esposito 6-3, 6-1 and gave Georgetown a 2-0 lead. Lohser followed with a 6-3, 6-4 win at #2 singles over Raux and the lead swelled to 3-0. Cravedi gave the Hoyas their clinching team point with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Zabala at #4 singles. Facing an insurmountable deficit of 4-0, the Mountaineers battled back to win the #1 singles match as Tatishvili defeated Sklavounos 6-3, 6-4. Troy Crichlow (So., Milton, Mass./Milton) then added to the Hoya margin with a 7-5, 7-6 (1) victory over Paschalides at #3 singles. The final match of the day saw Marchetti outlast Andre Benjamin (Jr., New York, N.Y./Fieldston) at #5 singles 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. The Hoyas won four of six singles matches in straight sets.
The Hoyas end their regular season with a mark of 2-3 in BIG EAST Conference play and an overall dual match record of 8-12. Selections for the BIG EAST Conference Championship are due Monday April 16 and the Hoyas are hopeful to receive a bid to the tournament at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.
West Virginia at Georgetown
April 14, 2001, Georgetown University McDonough Tennis Complex,
Washington, D.C.
Doubles
#1 Tatishvili/Raux (WVU) d. Sklavounos/Nelson (GU) 8-6
#2 Lohser/Cravedi (GU) d. Paschalides/Marchetti (WVU) 9-8(7)
#3 Jordan/Brupbacher (GU) d. Esposito/Anderson (WVU) 8-5
Team Score after doubles competition, GU 1 WVU 0
Singles
#1 Tatishvili (WVU) d. Sklavounos (GU) 6-3,6-4
#2 Lohser (GU) d. Raux (WVU) 6-3,6-4
#3 Crichlow (GU) d. Paschalides (WVU) 7-5,7-6(1)
#4 Cravedi (GU) d. Zabala (WVU) 6-0,6-4
#5 Marchetti (WVU) d. Benjamin (GU) 6-4,3-6,7-5
#6 Nelson (GU) d. Esposito (WVU) 6-3,6-1
Team Score after singles competition, GU 4, WVU 2
Final Score GU 5, WVU 2
