By Hillary Kane
Elm Staff Writer
After an exciting weekend of road matches, the Washington College Men’s tennis team has secured a spot in the Centennial Conference Playoffs. Ranked 13th in the Atlantic South region, the Shoremen took on the Bullets of Gettysburg and the Spartans of York College in a two-game day on Saturday, April 17. Both games ended successfully for the Shoremen, increasing their current record to 9-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
Against the Bullets, the Shoremen started off strong winning two of three doubles matches. At No.1 senior Adam Cranford and junior Kevin Papen crushed their opponents 8-0, while at No.3 juniors Aaron Ellison and John Menzione clinched a win with a final score of 9-8(4).
In singles, four of six matches were won for the Shoremen. No.1 seed Adam Cranford bested his opponent 6-3, 6-3. No.4 seed Aaron Ellison downed his competitor 6-2, 6-1, while No.5 Nicolas Campisi came through 6-0, 6-2. Menzione played at No.6 beating his contender with a clean sweep 6-0, 6-0. Final score against the day’s first match: Shoremen 6, Gettysburg 3.
The next match against York College (PA) revealed the Shoremen’s unshakeable consistency. In doubles, the Shoremen grabbed all three wins. At No.1 Ellison and Papen won 8-4, while Cranford and Menzione dominated 8-3 at No.2. Lisco and Novick also secured an 8-5 win at No.3.
The singles competitions furthermore proved the Shoremen’s dominance that day. Cranford at No.1 put down his opponent 6-0, 6-0, while Papen took out his contender 6-2, 6-1 at No.2. No. 4. Ellison went, 6-3, 6-1, while Campisi bested 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 at No. 5. Menzione finished 6-2, 6-2, at No. 6. Final score: WC 8, York 1.
After his stellar performance in both matches, senior Adam Cranford, ranked 19th in the region, was named this week’s Shoreman of the Week.
“It’s a great honor to be named Shoreman of the Week. I think the hard work is really paying off with the wins we had this past weekend. We are all excited that we clinched a playoff spot, and are able to compete for a chance to get WC tennis back into the NCAA spotlight. We just need to focus on each upcoming match and hopefully the results will be in our favor,” said Cranford.
The Shoremen will play nationally ranked Johns Hopkins at home on April 23 at 1 p.m.
April 22, 2011
Volume LXXXI Issue 23