Men's Tennis Weekly Release

Bulls End Western Trip and Fall to Xavier in Ohio

The week started with the University at Buffalo men’s tennis team falling to homestanding UC Davis on January 21, 4-3, as the match was moved indoors due to the weather. The Bulls returned to the Eastern Time Zone over the weekend, falling in a neutral-site match to Atlantic 10 member Xavier, 5-2, in Cleveland.

Pair Off to Hot Singles Starts

Nikesh Singh Panthlia

Two Bulls have started off the spring season with strong starts. Nikesh Singh Panthlia (George Town, Malaysia/BMK Penang Free School) has won two in a row from the number one slot, with a pair of straight-set wins this past week, and three of his last four contests. He scored a 6-4, 6-2 win over UC Davis’ Michael Reiser and followed with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Xavier’s Chris Herrlinger on Sunday. Singh Panthlia is leading the Bulls with a 12-4 singles mark.

Marcelo Mazzetto (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Carlos Magno) also has won two in a row and three of his last four singles contests. He is now second on the team with eight singles victories. Against UC Davis he downed Nick Lopez, 7-5, 6-1, in the number three match. Mazzetto moved up to the number two spot for the Xavier tilt and knocked off J.T. Torbeck, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

New Doubles Duo Goes Unbeaten

Marcelo Mazzetto

The Bulls juggled their doubles combinations during the California trip and the Xavier match, earning some good results from the new number one tandem. After dropping their first match together against Sacramento State, the team of Kirill Kolomytes (Moscow, Russia/Moscow High School 155) and Mazzetto scored wins against both UC Davis and Xavier, helping the Bulls claim the doubles point against the Aggies. Kolomytes and Mazzetto defeated UC Davis’ Daniel Elefant and Michael Reiser, 8-4, and Xavier’s Chris Herrlinger and Doug Matthews, again by an 8-4 margin.

Empire State Battles Await

The Bulls begin a February stretch of five consecutive matches against New York State opposition, starting with this Saturday’s matchup in Ithaca against Cornell. The Bulls then host regional rivals Niagara and St. Bonaventure the following weekend.