KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Kutztown University men's tennis made quick work of visiting Marymount (Va.) on Wednesday afternoon at the Keystone Courts. The Golden Bears swept their way to a 7-0 victory in 90 minutes and guaranteed themselves a winning season in the process.
In his first season at the helm, head coach
Pete Smith watched as his team improved to 9-1 overall with just seven regular season matches remaining. The last winning season for KU men's tennis came in 2017-18 when the Bears finished with a 10-4 record and reached the PSAC semifinals. Smith and the 2025 Golden Bears are hoping their winning season results in a return to the postseason for the first time since that 2017-18 campaign.
Kutztown dominated Marymount (3-9) from start-to-finish, dropping no more than a single game in any singles or doubles set.
Nikita Safonov (Podolsk, Russia/) and
Lucas Cherniak (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini) got doubles rolling by blanking Trung Tran and Alex Hain, 6-0, at No. 3.
Dang Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam/) and
Henrique Rocha (Jaticua, Brazil/Escola SEB Maceio) took care of Jose Torrecillas and Gunek Singh, 6-1, at No. 2, while
Emmitt Robinson (Ingersoll, Ontario/Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute) and
Linus Vennekold (Laatzen, Germany/) finished up with a 6-1 victory over Nathaniel Tesfaye and Emilio Escamilla at No. 2. Robinson and Vennekold ran their team-best doubles record to 8-3 on the year.
Luis Lopes (Piracicaba, Brazil/Colegio Saber) and
Raphael Hoareau Lebon (Saint-Joseph, Réunion/) got in on the action to kick off singles play with Lopes handing Tran a 6-0, 6-0 defeat at No. 5, and Hoareau Lebon turning back Hain 6-1, 6-0 at No. 6.
Needing just one more point to claim the match,
Terrell Arejola (Quezon City, Philippines/Southville International School and Colleges) put away Escamilla 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4.
The Maroon and Gold completed the clean sheet with Nguyen's 6-0, 6-0 win over Torrecillas at No. 1, Robinson's 6-0, 6-1 defeat of Tesfaye at No. 3 and Rocha's 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Singh at No. 2.
Kutztown is back at home Friday at 2 p.m. to take on a strong Salem squad at the Keystone Courts. Following Friday's match, KU will close the regular season with five of its final six matches against PSAC opponents.
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