KUTZTOWN, PA (May 6, 2010) – What, Kutztown worry?
Well, actually yes.
After falling behind by two matches in its NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional #2 opener against Mercyhurst, the Golden Bears experienced some emotions that were foreign to them such as doubt, concern and worry. Instead of panicking, Kutztown relied on its championship experience and used the steely resolve of a freshman to unfurl a rally to remember.
Kutztown won the final four singles matches highlighted by Cameron O'Donnell's triumph at No. 6 singles that clinched an exhilarating 5-3 victory over Mercyhurst. It was the Golden Bears' third win over a game and gritty Mercyhurst this season. (BOXSCORE) / (PHOTO GALLERY) / (ATLANTIC REGIONAL HOMEPAGE)
With the victory, Kutztown advances to Friday's second round where it meet West Liberty University, 5-2 winners over Bluefield State in the other regional match. The Golden Bears and Hilltoppers will battle at 1 p.m. with a trip to the Sweet 16 in Altamonte Springs (Florida) at stake.
“It was definitely a nail-biter as I figured it would be,” Suresh Ramamurthi said. “We knew it was going to be a battle and it's a shame we had to play in the first round but that's how the seedings happened. I am really proud and happy that my guys pulled it off and fought hard in spite of the fact we lost two of the doubles matches. I told my guys that they had to believe in themselves because nobody was going to give them the victory; they had to go out on and earn it.”
Mercyhurst (13-12 overall) made Kutztown (11-4) sweat for this victory. Both teams battled for close to four entertaining hours before the Golden Bears could finally exhale. Four of the six singles matches went three sets. Two of the three doubles matches – both won by the Mercyhurst tandems of Keith Whittingham-Mijo Cotic and Kyle King and Adam Marnik were decided by 8-6 scores. O'Donnell teamed with Asok Mukherjee at No. 3 doubles to claim an 8-4 decision for Kutztown.
Fueled by a large and energetic crowd of screaming, pacing and excited students, friends and parents, Kutztown displayed tremendous poise in the face of white-hot pressure. O'Donnell was confident despite dropping the first set, 6-1 at No. 6 singles. In winning the final two sets by 6-4 scores, O'Donnell was as cool as a scoop of ice cream.
“After losing the first set, I kind of felt more comfortable and I just focused on keeping the balls in,” O'Donnell said. “I was a little concerned when we lost two of our three doubles matches because that meant I had to win my singles match. I was really happy that I finally got a chance to contribute to a big win for us.”
O'Donnell was named the PSAC Freshman of the Year and he finally got a chance to prove it. As his match entered the third set, he felt several sets of eyes fixated on his match against Mercyhurst's Juan Franco. Both players traded smashing serves, perfectly-placed volleys and deft athleticism. By the time O'Donnell was in the third set, there were only two matches being played. Arpit Sharma was trailing in the other match 5-2 in the third set. So it was on O'Donnell's shoulders to deliver.
“I could tell the match was going to come down to the wire,” O'Donnell said. “I started to get a little nervous towards the end when I realized it was me and Arpit left. I was feeling confident that he wasn't going to break my serve. Once I got up 5-4, I knew I could hold my serve.”
Confidence probably wavered slightly for Kutztown's supporters when Mercyhurst's Adam Marnik defeated KU's Bobby Zerwick, 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 singles. That gave the Lakers a 3-1 advantage.
Ron Heurich won the first set against Sharma, 6-4. However, Sharma was able to force a decisive third set with a 6-4 decision in the second set. Mercyhurst displayed its fighting spirit when Keith Whittingham and Kyle King rebounded from losing the first set to extend Kaushik Das and Murkerjee to a third set.
“It's a heartbreaker for us,” Mercyhurst coach Ray Yost said. “I've lost matches before but it doesn't hit you like that because we had this won. When the going gets tough, the tough get going and Kutztown gets going when it's tough. We had that won. They won the big points. My guys played their hearts out and they played as hard as they could play.”
Eventually for Kutztown, Jonathan Goulet, Murkerjee, Das and O'Donnell won their singles matches in succession to lead Kutztown back from the brink of elimination. Goulet won his match in straight sets at No. 2 singles. The only Golden Bear to do so.
“We knew it was going to be a hard battle because each match we played against Mercyhurst was close,” Goulet said. “We knew it would be harder today to pull out the match because we were down 2-1 after the doubles matches. We were a little concerned and worried because we had never been in this position before but we remained confident in our ability.”
--KU--
