The College's tennis team is all smiles after soundly defeating both the St. Lawrenceville University Saints and the New York University (NYU) Violets this weekend in the spring season opener.
The men's team hosted both teams, defeating the Saints 9-0 Saturday morning and the Violets 8-1 Sunday afternoon, while the women's team defeated the Saints 8-1 Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday, Lions junior Michael Klimchak teamed at No. 1 doubles with junior Roger Mosteller to pick up an 8-5 win over Saints senior Matt Dwyer and sophomore Jon Satkowski.
Mosteller was victorious at No. 2 singles as well. After dropping his first set to Satkowski 6-2, he took the second set 6-2. Down 5-2 in the third set, Mosteller rallied to win the third set 7-6 (10-8), claiming victory in the match.
"To make nationals and to go as far as we can once we're there," Klimchak included as the team's goals for the season. "We missed it the last two years by a match, but this year our team has much more depth so I'm hoping we'll not only make it, but also make a big impact."
In Sunday's match with NYU, the College again claimed victory, dropping only one tiebreaker singles match to the opposing team. Mosteller tallied a perfect win over NYU sophomore Calvin Chou 6-0, 6-0. Klimchak's 6-3, 6-4 win over junior Mikhail Gurevich marked his second victory over a regionally ranked opponent, as Gurevich is No. 5 in the Northeast Region in singles play.
The women's team also had success with an 8-1 victory over St. Lawrenceville. Freshman Jackie Shtemberg picked up a 6-2, 6-0 win over junior Kirsten Lannon at No. 1 singles. She teamed at No. 1 doubles with junior Christina Contrafatto to best the Saints' top pair.
"We definitely read each other well and back each other up. We have fun together and that helps us relax during the hard times," Contrafatto said on her partnership with Shtemberg.
Contrafatto and Shtemberg captured the 2006 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Regional Doubles Championship this past fall, as well as ITA All-America honors in October, and are now 16-3 together. Contrafatto also posted the win at No. 2 singles with a 6-1, 6-2 win over junior Anne Moulin and is now 4-0 on the season.
"We have two very good teams coming in this weekend, so we'll need another good week of practice to prepare," head coach Scott Dicheck said. "We want to keep the confidence and energy high heading into the weekend."
The College hosts Washington College (Md.) this Friday at the Student Recreation Center with the men starting at noon and the women at 5 p.m.
