Rochester, NY – SUNY Oneonta Men's tennis moves to 5-5 on the year with a 6-3 setback to RIT. A very close contest on all courts beginning with the doubles ensued. Senior Nicholas Fox (Commack/Commack) and junior Marco Ammirati (Huntington/Huntington) were in control of their doubles match in the first position up 7-4 but could not close out the RIT duo. The Oneonta tandem had five match points but could not convert and dropped a disappointing match 8-7 (11-9). The only win in the doubles stanza was from a pair of freshman Matthew Reinhold (New Windsor/Newburgh Free Academy) and Dalton Capobianco (Daniel Island, SC/SC Connections Charter School) who played a thrilling match competing together for the first time. They went on to win 8-7 withstanding a scare in the tiebreaker when they were up 6-1 but held onto win (8-6).
The Red Dragons were down 2-1 after the doubles was contested but could get no more then two singles match wins. The 6-3 setback moved the Oneonta men to 5-5 on the season. Playing .500 tennis at this point in the year is actually a huge building block for the men with three-freshmen playing in the lineup.
The singles wins though came from Fox who played a thrilling first set and won needing several set points to finally convert 7-6 (8-6). The first set win was enough to break the spirit of the RIT foe and Fox cruised to a 6-2 set win in the second flight and a much needed victory for him and the team. Sophomore Benjamin Cohen got his first start of the spring in the sixth position and got a feel good singles win for himself and Oneonta to keep the dual match close 6-4, 6-2 and clinched the third win on the day for the Red Dragons.
Men's tennis goes back on the road with an important match to get them above the .500 mark as they take on Fairleigh Dickinson University on Thursday, April 4th beginning at 4 PM on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson in Florham Park, NJ.
