March 26, 2011
The Fordham University men's tennis traveled down to Philadelphia yesterday to take on the three Philadelphia-based Atlantic 10 schools this weekend as a warm up for the Atlantic 10 Championships. The Rams opened play in Philly today by falling to La Salle, 4-3.
The Rams opened the match by losing doubles point as La Salle won two of the three doubles matches. Alex DeRienzo and Eli Plangger picked up a doubles win for the Rams, defeating Trevor Donovan and Joseph LaBate at second doubles, 8-5, but Nick Kelly and Ken Fukumoto dropped first doubles to La Salle's Fernando Tovia and Chas Berenato, 8-2, and Austin Shoup and Dan Kane-West fell at third doubles to Mikel Kosich and Hunter Selman, 8-4.
In singles action, Fordham took three of the six matches, winning at first, third and sixth singles. DeRienzo took first singles from Kosich in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-2, while Fukumoto dropped the first set at third singles to Berenato, 6-4, before coming back to win the second and third by identical 6-3 scores. Plangger picked up the other win for the Rams, besting Selman at the sixth position in straight sets, 7-6 and 6-3.
Kevin Maloney and Kane-West each came close to securing a win for the Rams as each fell in three sets. Maloney took the first set at second singles from Tovia, 6-4, but then dropped the second and third by 6-3 margins. Kane-West lost the first set to LaBate at the fourth position, 6-4, before winning the second, 6-3, to force a third set which LaBate took by a 6-1 score.
The Rams will next be in action tonight as they face Saint Joseph's at 7:00 p.m. and then take on Temple on Sunday in Philadelphia at 1:00 p.m.
Fordham (3) at La Salle (4)
March 26, 2011
Singles
1. Alex DeRienzo (FOR) def. Mikel Kosich (LAS), 6-2, 6-2
2. Fernando Tovia (LAS) def. Kevin Maloney (FOR), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
3. Ken Fukumoto (FOR) def. Chas Berenato (LAS), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
4. Joseph LaBate (LAS) def. Dan Kane-West (FOR), 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
5. Trevor Donovan (LAS) def. Andriy Kulak (FOR), 6-4, 6-0
6. Eli Plangger (FOR) def. Hunter Selman (LAS), 7-6, 6-3
Doubles
1. Tovia/Berenato (LAS) def. Nick Kelly / Ken Fukumoto (FOR), 8-2
2. Alex DeRienzo / Eli Plangger (FOR) def. Donovan/LaBate (LAS), 8-5
3. Kosich/Selman (LAS) def. Austin Shoup / Dan Kane-West (FOR), 8-4
