Pirates Take Men's Tennis Twinbill

March 7, 2009

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina men's tennis squad, ranked No. 61 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll, captured its ninth and 10th victories of the season Saturday afternoon by sweeping a split doubleheader with a 7-0 win against Wingate and a 6-1 triumph over Limestone at the ECU Tennis Complex.

The pair of victories extended the Pirates' win streak to six straight and improved their spring dual match record to 10-1 while the Bulldogs and Saints dropped to 2-4 and 2-3, respectively.

In the opener against Wingate, the Pirates quickly clinched the win by outscoring the Bulldogs 24-7 in three doubles matches and posting six convincing straight-set singles victories. Jaroslav Horvath (No. 1), Stephen Whitwell (No. 2), Denis Ermilov (No. 3), Henrik Skalmerud (No. 4), Aleksey Kochetov (No. 5) and David Masciorini (No. 6) combined to post 72-21 ledger in singles play to help ECU post the triumph.

Against Limestone in the second match, the Pirates clinched the doubles point after an 8-2 win by Masciorini and Whitwell over Henrik Nordquist and Christian Warnholtz at the No. 3 slot, and an 8-6 decision by Kochetov and Skalmerud over Paulo Avila and Miguel Lopez Zuniga at No. 2. East Carolina followed by taking five of six singles battles to notch the team win.

Whitwell, Horvath, Skalmerud, Kochetov and Masciorini all came out on top in singles play at the No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 positions. Whitwell rolled past Thomas Ollivier (6-3, 6-3), Horvath defeated Phillippe Hogan (6-3, 6-0), Skalmerud dismissed Avila (6-0, 6-3), Kochetov handled Nordquist (6-2, 6-3) and Masciorini rallied back to hand Warnholtz a 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 loss.

Limestone booked its only tally when Zuniga captured a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Ermilov in a No. 3 matchup.

East Carolina will return to action Wednesday when it meets James Madison at 9 a.m. in a neutral site matchup at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

NO. 61 EAST CAROLINA 7, WINGATE 0
Singles Play
No. 1 - Jaroslav Horvath (ECU) def. Bruno Pudence (WIN); 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 - Stephen Whitwell (ECU) def. Mitchell Lvovsky (WIN); 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 - Denis Ermilov (ECU) def. Braeden Patchell (WIN); 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 - Henrik Skalmerud (ECU) def. Drew Owen (WIN); 6-0, 6-2
No. 5 - Aleksey Kochetov (ECU) def. Matt Lichtenstein (WIN); 6-4, 6-2
No. 6 - David Masciorini (ECU) def. Flavio Rathsam (WIN); 6-2, 6-2
Doubles Play
No. 1 - Ermilov/Horvath (ECU) def. Patchell/Louis Villarroel (WIN); 8-2
No. 2 - Kochetov/Skalmerud (ECU) def. Pudence/Rathsam (WIN); 8-4
No. 3 - Masciorini/Whitwell (ECU) def. Lichtenstein/Jose Valarezo (WIN); 8-1
Team Records: Wingate 2-4, East Carolina 9-1

NO. 61 EAST CAROLINA 6, LIMESTONE 1
Singles Play
No. 1 - Stephen Whitwell (ECU) def. Thomas Ollivier (LIM); 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 - Jaroslav Horvath (ECU) def. Phillippe Hogan (LIM); 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 - Miguel Lopez Zuniga (LIM) def. Denis Ermilov (ECU); 7-5, 6-2
No. 4 - Henrik Skalmerud (ECU) def. Paulo Avila (LIM); 6-0, 6-3
No. 5 - Aleksey Kochetov (ECU) def. Henrik Nordquist (LIM); 6-2, 6-3
No. 6 - David Masciorini (ECU) def. Christian Warnholtz (LIM); 4-6, 6-4, 1-0
Doubles Play
No. 1 - Hogan/Ollivier (LIM) def. Ermilov/Horvath (ECU); 9-7
No. 2 - Kochetov/Skalmerud (ECU) def. Avila/Zuniga (LIM); 8-6
No. 3 - Masciorini/Whitwell (ECU) def. Nordquist/Warnholtz (LIM); 8-2
Team Records: Limestone 2-3, East Carolina 10-1

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