Orlando, Florida - At the site of the new USTA tennis complex in Orlando, the SUNY Oneonta men's tennis team came away with a split in its contests with Stonehill College, Clark University, Emerson College and Wabash College.
 
The men opened with Stonehill on Monday, Mar. 4th and were setback 6-1 with Junior Alexander Reiley (Manorville/Eastport) getting the lone win in singles tallying a 6-4, 5-7 (12-10) score.  The nightcap pitted the Red Dragons against Clark University in what was a dramatic dual match start to finish.  The freshman doubles team of Jack Clayton (New Windsor/Newburgh Free Academy) and Matthew Reinhold (New Windsor/Newburgh Free Academy) took down their opponents 8-6 allowing the Red Dragons to keep the dual match close only down 1-2 going into singles.
 
A 2-1/2 hour singles marathon under the lights produced four winners for the Red Dragons.  Senior Nicholas Fox (Commack/Commack) was in a tight match and he came out a winner scoring a 7-5, 3-6 (10-8) win in a back and forth battle.  Sophomore Riley Smith (Westhampton Beach/Westhampton Beach) won handily with a 6-2, 6-3 score. Clayton was perfect chalking up a shutout 6-0, 6-0 drubbing of his Clark foe in the sixth position. The dual match clincher came from junior Marco Ammirati (Huntington/Huntington) in the first flight as he pulled out a 6-3, 4-6 (10-8) triumph which awarded the dual competition to the Red Dragons earning a split on the day with a 5-4 triumph over Clark.
 
The second day of competition was on Wednesday, Mar. 6th. The day's competition began with a dual match versus Emerson.  Doubles play ended with the Red Dragons finding themselves in a 2-1 deficit.  The lone doubles win came again from sophomore Benjamin Cohen and Reinhold with a dominant performance putting up an 8-1 score.  Singles play saw Smith securing a 6-3, 6-0 routine win.  Reiley played a close singles  match in the five spot after dropping the first set 2-6 he came roaring back with a second set win 6-1 closing out the match in 10-3 super tiebreaker.  Clayton contributed in the sixth position with a nice win at 6-3, 6-0.  The match of the morning was from third seeded freshman Dalton Capobianco (Daniel Island, SC/SC Connections Charter School) playing on an ailing shoulder served under-handed who simply grinded out a win after dropping the first set. This victory at the third position for Capobianco turned out to be the clincher of the dual match.  Red Dragon teammates rushed on court to congratulate him as Oneonta recorded a 5-4 team triumph bringing them to 4-3 on the year.
 
Closing out the week's competition was a match against regionally ranked In the Midwest, Wabash College.  Wabash makes regular trips every year to the National Tournament and they were almost caught by surprise from a very hungry Red Dragon squad.  The lone doubles win came from Cohen who teamed up with Smith in the 2nd flight.  A dramatic end to that doubles match came in a tiebreaker with an inspired Cohen making his first start in the second doubles position.  The pair came out with an 8-7 (7-5) all important win to help the Red Dragons keep the dual match close only down 1-2.
 
Singles did see a win from Capobianco who again had to serve underhanded to protect an ailing shoulder and somehow pulled out a 7-5, 6-2 victory keeping the Red Dragon hopes still alive in third flight.  Clayton in the sixth position pulled out yet another victory recording a 6-4, 6-2 tally.  That was the final point on the day for The Red Dragons as they could get no closer.  Smith and Reiley both lost in super-tiebreakers as Oneonta came within a whisker of a major upset as the Red Dragons left the USTA complex on the short side of a 6-3 decision.  The loss places the Red Dragon playing .500 tennis with a very tough schedule remaining this spring.
 
The SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons head back north returning to Oneonta with some much needed rest ahead.  They get back into competition when they go on the road to play St. John Fisher on Friday, Mar. 15th in Rochester at the Mendon Racquet Club beginning at 4pm.