Box Score (PDF)
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's tennis team put it all together on Saturday afternoon when it continued Liberty League play with a big home matchup against regionally-ranked Vassar inside the Athletics & Events Center's Glazer Arena. Riding the momentum from the team's best doubles session of the season, the Bombers rolled past the Brewers for an impressive 7-2 win to earn their first victory in Liberty League play.
 
Ithaca had a different energy about it when it convened at the indoor courts for a spirited warm-up. The positive vibes turned into positive results on the court, as IC looked sharp from the outset and kept that honed in focus throughout the match in the comprehensive victory. The Bombers swept all three doubles matchups to take a commanding lead and never took the foot off the gas. Ithaca capped the day with wins in 4-of-6 singles matchups to easily pull away. The triumph was Ithaca's first at home during the spring.
 
Ithaca 7 – Vassar 2
Doubles
1. Minos Stavrakas/Colten Lavery (ITHACA) def. Allen Sokolov/Jeremy Auh (VASSAR) | 8-4
2. Max Prestwich/Michael Gardiner (ITHACA) def. Adam Krueger/David Gandham (VASSAR) | 8-1
3. Sam McGrath/Liam Spiegel (ITHACA) def. Jamie Anderson/Nick Zuczek (VASSAR) | 8-6
 
Singles
1. Minos Stavrakas (ITHACA) def. David Gandham (VASSAR) | 6-4, 6-2
2. Sam McGrath (ITHACA) def. Mathew Yee (VASSAR) | 7-6 (7-2), 2-6, 10-7
3. Michael Gardiner (ITHACA) def. Jamie Anderson (VASSAR) | 6-2, 6-0
4. Adam Krueger (VASSAR) def. Colten Lavery (ITHACA) | 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
5. Allen Sokolov (VASSAR) def. Sam Fried (ITHACA) | 6-1, 6-3
6. Garrett Boleslav (ITHACA) def. Jeremy Auh (VASSAR) | 6-2, 6-0
 
The Bombers jumped up on the Brewers with its most clinical doubles session of the season to-date. Ithaca entered the day still looking for its first lead coming out of doubles this season. IC emerged not only with a lead, but a commanding one at that, sweeping all three doubles matchups to take firm control of the match.
 
The demolition started at second-doubles, as the new-look pairing of junior Max Prestwich and senior Michael Gardiner continued to stay hot as a grouping with second win in as many starts. The duo raced past the Vassar combo of Adam Krueger and David Gandham by an 8-1 margin. The lead doubled shortly after that, as the junior grouping of Colten Lavery and Minos Stavrakas improved to 4-3 on the year with an 8-4 win against Allen Sokolov and Jeremy Auh.
 
The closest battle of the doubles session came in the third position where junior Liam Spiegel teamed up with senior Sam McGrath. The pair locked in a competitive back-and-forth battle with Vassar's Jamie Anderson and Nick Zuczek. The stretch run proved to be the difference, as Ithaca's pressure broke down Vassar's tandem in the waning games of the pro-set. Trailing 6-5, IC held serve to even the matchup, before earning a crucial break to go up 7-6. With Spiegel on serve, Ithaca took four of the final five points to see out the doubles sweep in an 8-6 win.
 
It did not take Ithaca long to lock up the victory during the singles session. Riding the momentum from the strong start, Ithaca carried the play during the early matchups of the day, taking wins at first-singles, second-singles, third-singles, as well as adding a win at sixth-singles to top off the fine afternoon.
 
Gardiner pushed Ithaca's lead to 4-0 with an all-around dominating win 6-2, 6-0 against the Brewers' Jamie Anderson in the third slot. Stavrakas clinched the victory for Ithaca with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over David Gandham in the first-singles battle. McGrath would tack on Ithaca's sixth team point with a gutsy three-set grind against Vassar's Mathew Yee. The senior battled scored the opening set win in a breaker, but had to regain the momentum following a 6-2 loss in the second set. He regrouped to take the third-set super-breaker by a 10-7 margin.
 
Senior Garrett Boleslav looked very impressive in just his second appearance in the lineup this season at sixth-singles. He dominated his match against Jeremy Auh, earning a couple breaks in the first set in a 6-2 win, as well as three breaks in a 6-0 sweep in the second set.
 
Ithaca's two defeats came in the fourth and fifth positions. Lavery battled hard in his fourth-singles matchup against Adam Krueger. IC's man took awhile to find his footing, falling in the opening set by a 6-1 score. However, Lavery answered back in the second with a 6-3 win to force a third-set. With the match not yet decided at that point, the two netter locked in for a full third set, which Krueger took by a 6-3 count. Vassar's second victory came in a 6-1, 6-3 win by Allen Sokolov over IC junior Sam Fried.
 
Ithaca will be back in action on Wednesday, April 3, as the team hits the road for another Liberty League matchup at RIT. Start time is 4:00 p.m.