Box Score (PDF)
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's tennis team returned to the courts at Cornell's Reis Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon when it continued its postseason run against top-seeded and 17
th nationally-ranked Skidmore in the 2019 Liberty League Championship Semifinals. The Bombers battled valiantly against one of the nation's best teams, but were unable to advance their season an extra day in falling to the talented Thoroughbreds by a 5-1 final margin.
The IC men entered the day riding an emotional high coming off the program's first postseason victory in Liberty League competition on Friday. The Bombers turned in a comprehensive effort, showing grit and determination in a 5-3 win over Vassar during Friday's Quarterfinal Round. The test certainly grew in difficulty on Saturday, as Skidmore entered the day with perfect mark in Liberty League competition and ranked as one of the best programs in the nation. Ithaca certainly had no back down and matched up quite competitively against the Thoroughbreds throughout the day, coming up just a handful of shots short in the ultimate 5-1 defeat.
Doubles
1. JT Wynne/Noah Williamson (SKIDMORE) def. Minos Stavrakas/Colten Lavery (ITHACA) | 8-6
2. Travis Leaf/Suraj Mahtani (SKIDMORE) def. Michael Gardiner/Max Prestwich (ITHACA) | 8-5
3. Jack McClaren/Jason Keye (SKIDMORE) def. Liam Spiegel/Sam McGrath (ITHACA) | 8-4
Singles
1. Jack McClaren (SKIDMORE) def. Minos Stavrakas (ITHACA) | 6-3, 6-4
2. Sam McGrath (ITHACA) def. Travis Leaf (SKIDMORE) | 6-4, 6-1
3. Noah Williamson (SKIDMORE) def. Michael Gardiner (ITHACA) | 6-1, 6-3
4. Suraj Mahtani (SKIDMORE) vs. Colten Lavery (ITHACA) | 6-1, 5-3 **UNFINISHED**
5. Connor Biernat (SKIDMORE) vs. Max Prestwich (ITHACA) | 6-0, 4-4 **UNFINISHED**
6. Tristan Thiebaut (SKIDMORE) vs. Garrett Boleslav (ITHACA) | 6-1, 5-4 **UNFINISHED**
The doubles session was quite a close battle, but Skidmore was able to squeeze out close victories in all three matchups to take a commanding lead out of the session. The results put IC in an early hole that proved to be too deep to climb out from as the match continued.
The Thoroughbreds struck first in the third-doubles tilt with Jack McClaren and Jason Keye scoring an 8-4 triumph over senior
Sam McGrath and junior
Liam Spiegel. The second-doubles battle wrapped shortly thereafter with Skidmore's Travis Leaf and Suraj Mahtani edging past senior
Michael Gardiner and junior
Max Prestwich in a tight 8-5 battle. The closest doubles battle came in the first lineup slot, as juniors
Minos Stavrakas and
Colten Lavery nearly delivered a big momentum-changing win over the ranked pairing of JT Wynne and Noah Williamson. Unfortunately, a single break was the difference, as Skidmore's pair was able to hold on late for an 8-6 win.
Unlike the regular-season meeting in which Ithaca failed to score a team point in a 9-0 shutout in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the Bombers did not go down quietly in the singles session. IC continued to battle and McGrath was able to score a singles win to cap his IC playing career in a 6-4, 6-1 win over Travis Leaf in the second-singles battle.
The Thoroughbreds clinched the match with victories in the first and third positions to seal the day. Stavrakas played confidently made a litany of strong shots throughout his first-slot matchup against Jack McClaren; however, the Skidmore netter was just a tad more precise on this day in a 6-3, 6-4 straight-sets win. Noah Williamson also scored a win in the third-position, besting Ithaca's Gardiner in his final collegiate match by a 6-1, 6-3 score.
Matches to not conclude were the bottom three lineup positions. Suraj Mahtani held a 6-1, 5-3 lead over Lavery in the fourth position. Connor Biernat had a 6-0, 4-4 lead on Prestiwich in the fifth slot, while Tristan Thiebaut led IC senior
Garrett Boleslav 6-1, 5-4 in the sixth position at the time of suspension of the match.
Ithaca caps the 2018-19 season with a record of 6-13, but certainly has a platform to build upon with a first Liberty League Tournament victory now in the bag for the years to come.
