Xavier University Athletics
Xavier University
George Washington
Xavier Falls To GW 4-3
02.20.11 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 20, 2011
PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- It was a rematch of last year's Atlantic 10 tournament final but this time it was George Washington who prevailed over the Xavier men's tennis team 4-3 Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Musketeers fell to 4-6 on the season and 1-1 in the Atlantic 10.
The Musketeers and Colonials were tied 3-3 with the deciding match coming at No. 1. In the top slot Colonial netter Ugar Atalay bested XU senior Bobby Deye in three sets 6-4, 2-6, 7-6. Xavier won the doubles point with Brian Starr and Patrick Bandy earning a win at No. 1 and Philip Diaz and Brandon MacDonald posting an 8-3 victory at No. 3.
Freshman Mesa Mei bested Alexander van Gils 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 in the fourth singles slot, and Starr earned a win over Richard Blumenfeld (6-0, 7-6) at No. 6.
"To have the match decided by a third set tiebreaker really speaks to how well both teams played today," said Xavier head coach Eric Toth. "The way our matches have gone in the past, I would have been surprised if it had gone down any other way. Other than the result, I am very happy with today's effort. We are really making improvements as a team and feel that we will continue getting better as the season continues. We just have to continue to put in the daily work necessary to be that team we want and hope to be in April."
Both the Musketeers and Colonials were tied for first in the A-10 preseason poll.
XU will return to action Friday, February 25 at Lipscomb. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Nashville, Tenn.
Players Mentioned
