March 23, 2014
VILLANOVA, Pa. - In a back-and-forth battle between the Villanova men's tennis team (0-12) and Temple (6-10) on Sunday, the Wildcats were unable to get over the hump as the Owls knocked off the home squad, 4-3, Sunday at the Villanova Tennis Complex.
"Even with the tough lost to Temple I am very encouraged with the effort and performance of our players. We are starting to turn the season around," Villanova head coach Bradley Adams said. "It has been a difficult start with some of the injuries, but I am impressed with how our team shows up and competes at a very high level."
The Wildcats gained an early advantage when they clinched the doubles point with a clean sweep in all three matches.
Thomas O'Brien (Branford, Conn.) would make the score 2-0 when he eased past Nicolas Paulus, 6-4, 6-0, at the No. 1 slot.
Temple would go on to record three straight victories to take a 3-2 lead. Shortly after, Tim Abbracciamento (Robbinsville, N.J.) knocked off Hernan Vasconez, 6-4, 6-4, at the No. 5 position to tie the match at 3-3.
With only one match left and the score tied, Michael Rosengren (Sharon, Mass.) would force a decisive third set against Santiago Canete to determine the winner. In the end, Canete would slip by 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 at the No. 6 flight to earn Temple's sixth victory of the season.
Full recaps will be available following each match on Villanova.com/mtennis and don't forget to follow @NovaMTennis on Twitter for news and updates.
Below is a look at the complete results of Sunday's dual match:
Temple 4, Villanova 3 - Mar. 23 - Villanova Tennis Complex - Villanova, Pa.
Doubles (Villanova clinched doubles point):
1. Stipcic / Vasconez (TU) def. Thomas O'Brien / Kelly Donaldson (VU), 8-2
2. Tim Abbracciamento / Bradley Noyes (VU) def. Belkssir / Paulus (TU), 8-6
3. Matt Colonnese / Michael Rosengren (VU) def. Marquart / Naran (TU), 9-8 (1)
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles:
1) Thomas O'Brien (VU) def. Nicolas Paulus (TU), 6-4, 6-0
2) Kristian Marquart (TU) def. Mark Miller (VU), 6-0, 3-6, 6-4
3) Hicham Belkssir (TU) def. Ryan Peyton (VU), 6-4, 6-3
4) Filip Stipcic (TU) def. Bradley Noyes (VU), 6-3, 6-3
5) Tim Abbracciamento (VU) def. Hernan Vasconez (TU), 6-4, 6-4
6) Santiago Canete (TU) def. Michael Rosengren (VU), 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
Order of finish 1,3,4,2,5,6
