JUMBOS BEGIN SPRING SEASON WITH 6-3 VICTORY AT PUERTO RICO-MAYGUEZ

COLLEGE MEN'S TENNIS FINAL SCORE
Tufts 6, Puerto Rico-Mayaguez 3

At Palmas del Mar, P.R.
Sunday, March 21, 2010

Doubles
1. Kai Victoria/Andrew Lutz (T) def. Andres Irizarry/Fernando Herrero (PR) 9-8 (3)
2. Paul Kohnstamm/Daniel Landers (T) def. Luis Colon/Juan Mendez (PR) 8-5
3. Sam Laber/Morrie Bossen (T) def. Jose Bachier/Ubaldino Ramirez de Arellano (PR) 8-2

Singles
1. Irizarry (PR) def. Victoria (T) 7-6 (5), 6-1
2. Herrero (PR) def. Laber (T) 4-6, 6-2, 10-6
3. Mendez (PR) def. Tony Carucci (T) 6-3, 6-3
4. Lutz (T) def. Colon (PR) 6-1, 6-4
5. Ben Barad (T) def. Phillip Rivera (PR) 6-0, 6-0
6. Mark Westerfield (T) def. Bachier (PR) 6-1, 6-0

Sophomore Kai Victoria played at #1 in singles and doubles for Tufts

PALMAS DEL MAR, P.R. -- The Tufts men's tennis team opened the spring season with a 6-3 win on spring break at Palmas del Mar, Puerto Rico against Division II opponent University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. In their first action since October 9, Coach Doug Eng's team improved to a 3-1 record for the 2009-10 season.

In doubles, freshman Andrew Lutz (Baltimore, MD) teamed up for the first time with sophomore Kai Victoria (Miami, FL) in a tight match at #1. Both teams volleyed extremely well and the Tufts duo pulled out the win in a tiebreak. At #2 doubles, tri-captains Paul Kohnstamm (Larchmont, NY) and Daniel Landers (Sao Paulo, Brazil) teamed up after both sat out the fall due to injuries. They fell behind 5-2 against a hard-hitting team from UPR. The Tufts pair settled down and stayed on top of the net, keeping aggressive with well-placed angle volleys in the front court. Tufts jumped out to a 3-0 lead in doubles.

In singles play, freshmen Ben Barad (San Rafael, CA) at #5 and Mark Westerfield (Menlo Park, CA) at #6 came off the court with convincing wins to put the Jumbo lead at 5-0. At #4 singles, Lutz won easily in the first set and battled the heat with short net points to pull out the sixth point for Tufts. However, the hot conditions with temperatures in the 90s were a factor and host UPR won singles 1, 2, and 3 in tight matches.

The Jumbos return home and play at Vassar next Saturday (Mar. 27). The Jumbos are ranked 10th in the March 16 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast poll. Vassar is #8.

#