Men's Tennis Drops MAC Opener to Ball State, 5-2

Nikesh Singh Panthlia

WILLIAMSVILLE, NY – The University at Buffalo men's tennis team opened the Mid-American Conference schedule on Friday night with a 5-2 loss to Ball State at the Village Glen Tennis Center. The Bulls are now 4-10 overall and 0-1 in the MAC while the Cardinals are 5-8 overall and 1-0 in the league.

The Bulls played the Cardinals close throughout the evening with their two singles wins coming in three-set thrillers after UB dropped the opening set in both matches.

In the number two match, Nikesh Singh Panthlia (George Town, Malaysia/BMK Penang Free School) dropped his opening set to Aaron Phillips in a 7-4 tiebreaker, but rallyed to take the final two sets. Singh Panthlia won the second set, 6-4, and then completed the comeback with 6-3 win in the third set. The victory by Singh Panthlia was his team-leading 15th singles win this season.

Kirill Kolomytes

At number three, freshman Kirill Kolomytes (Moscow, Russia/Moscow High School 155) scored a three-set victory that included tiebreakers in two of the sets. Kolomytes fell in a 7-4 tiebreaker to Jose Perdomo in the first set, then tied the match with a 6-4 win in the second set. In the third set, Kolomytes led 5-2 and had to rally to force another tiebreaker. Kolomytes then scored a 7-5 victory in the tiebreaker.

Ball State swept the doubles contests but the most exciting match turned out to be the number one contest won by Joe Epkey and Perdomo over Yules Hadisubroto (Jakarta, Indonesia/SMUN 21) and Kolomytes in a 9-7 tiebreaker. Of the 16 service games prior to the tiebreaker, none of the four players was broken on his service.

The Bulls travel to Kalamazoo, MI next weekend for a matchup with MAC foe Western Michigan on Friday, March 30 followed by a non-conference contest against Kalamazoo College on March 31.

Ball State 5, Buffalo 2

Doubles

1 Joe Epkey/Jose Perdomo (BSU) d. Yules Hadisubroto/Kirill Kolomytes (UB), 9-8 (7)

2 Aaron Phillips/Jorge Rodriguez (BSU) d. Nikesh Singh Panthlia/Octavian Stane (UB), 8-5

3 Jarrod Epkey/Joe Vallee (BSU) d. Mike Rockman/Albert Alant (UB), 8-4

Order of finish: 3 2 1

Singles

1 Joe Epkey (BSU) d. Mike Rockman (UB), 6-1, 6-1

2 Nikesh Singh Panthlia (UB) d. Aaron Phillips (BSU), 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3

3 Kirill Kolomytes (UB) d. Jose Perdomo (BSU), 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (5)

4 Bret Berryman (BSU) d. Yules Hadisubroto (UB), 6-3, 7-6 (4)

5 Jimmy Brannon (BSU) d. Albert Alant (UB) 6-3, 6-3

6 Joe Vallee (BSU) d. Octavian Stane (UB), 7-5, 6-4

Order of finish: 1 5 4 6 2 3