BOX SCORE
When and Where: April 20, 2016 – Manchester, N.H. (SNHU Tennis Courts)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 5, Merrimack College 4
Records: SNHU 12-7 (10-0 NE-10), Merrimack 8-8 (7-1 NE-10)
Sophomore Jeremy Reichentahl (Cheshire, Conn.) rallied for a huge three-set win at No. 6 singles to lift the Southern New Hampshire University men's tennis team to a 5-4 victory against Merrimack College on Wednesday afternoon to capture the Northeast-10 Regular-Season Championship at the SNHU Tennis Courts.
The victory gives the Penmen their first NE-10 regular-season title and first undefeated conference record in program history.
With the match tied at four, Reichentahl dropped the opening set to Alex Slobin, 6-3, but rebounded to win the final two sets, 6-4, 6-1, and send the Penmen on to victory.
Southern New Hampshire trailed, 2-1, following doubles play as sophomores Miguel Marreiros (Portimao, Portugal) and Tiago Fernandes (Porto, Portugal) were edged out, 8-6, at No. 1 doubles before classmates Ricardo Marreiros (Portimao, Portugal) and Xavier Aubron (Herouville, France) posted an 8-1 victory at No. 2 doubles. Freshman Max Georgeff (Toronto, Ontario) and sophomore Sebastian Ramirez (Merida, Valenzuela) fell, 8-3, in the No. 3 slot.
Merrimack went up 3-1 when Frank Vega snapped Aubron's five-match winning streak with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph at No. 3 singles. Another five-match winning fell for the Penmen at No. 1 singles as Mikhail Belov handed Ricardo Marreiros a 6-2, 6-2 loss.
Miguel Marreiros' 6-3, 6-1 victory over Nick Majewski at No. 2 singles, combined with Fernandes' 6-4, 6-0 defeat of Miguel Belfort at No. 4, pulled the Penmen to within 4-3. Ramirez then recorded a big 6-2, 6-0 win against Tyler Clontz at No. 5 singles, to set up Reichentahl's heroics.
Notes:
-SNHU has won 10 of its last 11, including 10 straight against Division II opponents.
-Fernandes has captured 10 straight singles matches against Division II foes.
-Southern New Hampshire is 10th in the latest Oracle/ITA Division II East Rankings.
-Ricardo Marreiros, Miguel Marreiros and Aubron are all ranked inside the top 20 among singles players in the region at 10th, 12th and 15th, respectively. Ricardo Marreiros and Aubron are the eighth-ranked doubles team in the region.
Up Next:
The Penmen, who have earned a bye into the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Championship, will await their opponent for their Friday, April 29 match at the SNHU Tennis Courts.
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