April 25, 2009

MONROEVILLE, Pa. - After jumping out to a an early 3-0 lead over top-seeded George Washington, fourth-seeded St. Bonaventure held off a dramatic run by the Colonials and emerged with epic 4-3 victory on Saturday in the semifinals of the 2009 Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Championship at the Club 4 Life.

The Bonnies secured the doubles point in the second flight with seniors Leo Mochizuki and Victor Lecina taking a 9-8 (4) decision, however GW stormed back in singles action to tie the match, 3-3. With title chances pinned on the No. 1 match between GW sophomore Yan Levinski and SBU sophomore Chris Post, Levinski worked his way to a 5-2 advantage in the third set. As the match approached the five-hour mark, Post rallied to force a tie-breaker and battled his way to a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3) victory and an opportunity for the first Bonnies' championship since 2003.

"It was one of those matches that could've gone either way," said St. Bonaventure head coach Michael Bates. "It's one of the craziest matches I've ever been a part of. Post fought through everything, cramps and everything to gut that one out."

The final match on Saturday proved just as dramatic with reigning champion and second-seeded Xavier winning a thriller over third-seeded Saint Louis, 4-3. The first flight was again the setting for the match's conclusion, with senior Doug Matthews of XU besting junior Ken Nordheim of SLU, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The Musketeers took the crucial doubles point with the pairing of sophomores Bobby Deye and Brian Starr earning a 9-8 (3) decision. With the win, the Musketeers advance to the finals for the third time in program annals and seek their second straight league crown.

"Saint Louis is a great team, they deserved to win tonight and no one deserved to lose," said Xavier head coach Eric Toth. "I can't say enough about SLU and how hard their players fight and how well they're coached. We're just the same. We fight hard, play hard and this group is very deserving to get back to the finals of what was another very difficult A-10 Tournament. We'll be ready to go."

Earlier in the day, freshman Mansur Gishkaev secured the winning point and collected a No. 4 singles victory as sixth-seeded Temple outlasted No. 7 Duquesne, 4-3. The Owls will square off with Charlotte on Sunday to determine fifth place, while the Dukes will face Saint Joseph's in the seventh-place contest. George Washington will play Saint Louis for third-place, with game-time scheduled for 11:00am.

Also on Saturday, No. 9 Dayton downed 12th-seeded Fordham, 4-0, while No. 10 Richmond earned a 4-0 win over No. 11 La Salle to tie the Flyers for ninth place.

Vying for its third title in program history, St. Bonaventure will square off against defending champion Xavier at 11:00am on Sunday. For complete coverage of the 2009 Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Championship, log on to www.atlantic10.org