Box Score Elmira, NY – The SUNY Oneonta men's tennis is off and running with the start of its spring 2018 campaign.  The season began today with an overwhelming win taking down the Elmira Soaring Eagles 8-1.  This marks the second win in a row for the Red Dragons dating back to the fall season.

Doubles started off with the Red Dragons only losing five games total.  The number one doubles duo of junior Nicholas Fox (Commack/Commack) and junior Joseph D'Orazio (Smithtown/Smithtown) got off to a slow start and lost the opening game on a break.  They eventually got the break back to go even 4-4 and won the next four games to clinch the match against a tricky Elmira tandem.  Sophomore Marco Ammirati (Huntington/Huntington) and senior Zach Lasky (Colonie/Colonie) had little trouble in securing an 8-1 triumph at the number two position.  In the third spot seniors Cole Laffitte (East Setauket/Ward Melville) and Timothy Distler (Amityville/St. John the Baptist) were perfect in disposing their opponents 8-0.

In singles the numbers two through six Red Dragon combatants only lost three games total.  Ammirati, Lasky, Laffitte, Distler and freshman Riley Smith (Westhampton Beach/Westhampton Beach) respectfully were all victorious in lopsided fashion.  The number one player Fox, competing for the first time in that top position, faltered losing the first set 6-4 and came back strong to take the second set 6-1.  Unfortunately for Fox he dropped the super-tiebreaker in a battle that was the only match the Red Dragons lost on the day.

The Red Dragon men's tennis team quickly get into a tough portion of their schedule when they play St. Lawrence College on Saturday, February 17^th at 1 PM and Hobart College on the 18^th of February beginning at 12 noon at their respective campuses.