Men's Tennis Rolls at Niagara Doubles Shootout

Eric Rothstein and Kristof Custers win championship

Eric Rothstein

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY - The University at Buffalo sent several individuals to play in the Niagara Doubles Shootout which concluded on Sunday with two combinations reaching their flight championship matches.

The UB tandems of Eric Rothstein and Kristof Custers and George Tibil (Bucharest, Romania/Institut des Dames de Marie) and Mitch Zenaty reached their flight championship matches as Rothstein and Custers emerged victorious.

Kristof Custers

In the White Flight competition, Rothstein and Custers went undefeated winning six matches over the two-day tournament. After rolling through four wins on Saturday, Rothstein and Custers shutout David Damiani and Chris Faltenheim of York University, 8-0, to reach the championship match. Rothstein and Custers knocked off another York duo, Dan Weese and Tim Khagem, 8-4, to win the title on Sunday.

Tibil and Zenaty were paired in the Purple Flight, where they went 3-1 on the opening day with wins over opponents from Niagara, St. John Fisher and Allegheny College and falling to York's Mikhail Lew and Anthony Rakic.. On Sunday, Tibil and Zenaty defeated Niagara's Brandon Gallegos and David Sarrasin, 8-4, in the semifinal round for their fourth win of the weekend. The championship match turned into a rematch against York's Lew and Rakic. Tibil and Zenaty fell in a tiebreaker against the York pair for the second time in two days to end as the flight runners-up.

"This tournament gave us a great opportunity to exclusively work on our doubles play and I am happy with how our guys performed this weekend," stated assistant coach Jordie Kindervater, who served as coach while the remainder of the Bulls competed at the Princeton Invitational. "They came out upbeat and energetic, that is something we have to see in doubles every time we step out on the court. We will continue to work at improving our doubles play as we build for the spring"

UB continues its fall tournament schedule at the Dartmouth Invitational starting on October 2.

Purple Flight
George Tibil/Mitch Zenaty (UB) d. Brandon Gallegos/David Sarrasin (NU), 9-8 (6)
Tibil/Zenaty (UB) d. Jake Van Buren/Greg Duffy (SJFC), 8-1
Tibil/Zenaty (UB) d. Uros Predic/Jake Allmaras (AC), 8-4
Mikhail Lew/Anthony Rakic (YU) d. Tibil/Zenaty (UB), 9-8 (5)
Semifinals
Tibil/Zenaty (UB) d. Gallegos/Sarrasin (NU), 8-4
Finals
Lew/Rakic (YU) d. Tibil/Zenaty (UB), 9-8 (5)

White Flight
Eric Rothstein/Kristof Custers (UB) d. Mike Prevenzano/Evan Gordon (AC), 8-2
Rothstein/Custers (UB) d. John Baird (NU)/Tiago Gandum (UB), 8-3
Rothstein/Custers (UB) d. David Damiani/Chris Faltenheim (YU), 8-0
Rothstein/Custers (UB) d. Dimarino/Delperdo (SJFC), 8-2
Jordan Blair/Matt DiTullio (NU) d. Baird (NU)/Gandum (UB), 9-8 (4)
Dan Weese/Tim Khagem (YU) d. Baird (NU)/Gandum (UB), 8-3
Damiani/Faltenheim (YU) d. Baird (NU)/Gandum (UB), 8-3
Semifinals
Rothstein/Custers (UB) d. Damiani/Faltenheim (YU), 8-0
Finals
Rothstein/Custers (UB) d. Weese/Khagem (YU), 8-4