Flushing Meadows, NY – The Concordia College Clippers men's tennis team began their 2012 spring schedule with a match against Division I St. John's this afternoon. After trailing 1-0 following doubles competition, the Clippers were unable to bounce back as the Red Storm won 5-2 for their second win of the season.
In doubles competition the team of Benas Majauskas (Vilnius, Lithuania) and Tomasz Olfans (Opole, Poland) fell at #1 doubles, 8-2 to begin the afternoon. Andreas Lindell (Helsingborg, Sweden) and David Tisserand (Lyon, France) was the next match to finish as the #3 doubles team fell 8-4. The #2 doubles team of Daniele Piludu (Cagliari, Italy) and Geza Bazula (Budapest, Hungary) rounded out doubles competition with a hard-fought 8-4 victory however, the two victories by St. John's allowed them to take a 1-0 lead in the overall score.
In singles play, Lindell's match was the first one to finish as he fell 6-1, 6-3 in #2 singles. Tisserand and Majauskas followed thereafter at #4 and #1 singles with two more defeats for Concordia 6-1, 6-4 and 6-3, 6-2 as Majauskas battled #29 ranked Vasko Mladenov (Sofia, Bulgaria).
With the Red Storm holding a 4-0 overall lead, the Clippers were unable to secure the victory but the final three matches were great battles as Concordia took two of the three. Olfans barely lost his first set 6-5 as his opponent was able to close out the match with a 6-3 second set victory.
Piludu got the first victory for the Clippers at #3 singles with a 6-4, 6-4 win and Mark Mozer (Brest, Belarus) had to play three sets at #6 singles for his 3-6, 6-4, 10-6 win.
Concordia (1-1, 0-0 CACC) will take what they learned from today's match and apply it towards there next competitor, Embry-Riddle, when they take to the courts next month. The Clippers will face the Eagles on Sunday, March 4th in Daytona Beach, FL.