Men's tennis weekly release

Bulls Open Spring Campaign With Split in Rhode Island

The University at Buffalo men's tennis team, the defending Mid-American Conference regular season champions, opened the spring dual meet season on Saturday with a pair of contests in Rhode Island. UB opened with a 5-2 loss against Brown at Centre Court in East Providence, RI. The Bulls then rebounded to defeated Bryant, 6-1, Saturday night.

Mazzetto, Zenaty Earn Doubles Recognition

Seniors Marcelo Mazzetto and Mitch Zenaty earned a number seven doubles ranking in the Northeast region as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its first rankings of the 2011 season. Mazzetto and Zenaty finished the 2010 fall tournament season with a 5-2 record as a duo. The pair scored three wins at October's ITA Northeast Regionals in New Haven advancing to the fourth round. The duo split their matches as the number one team in UB's dual meets with Brown and Bryant.

Starakiewicz, Tibil Score Wins Over Bears

In the spring season opener against Brown, the Bulls picked up a pair of singles wins for their two points. At number one, Wojciech Starakiewicz scored a 6-4, 7-6 win over Brandon Burke. George Tibil, playing in the fourth slot, defeated Tom Deighton in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6. The match was moved to an off-campus indoor facility after one of the several snowstorms that New England has gone through this winter deflated the dome at Brown's Pizzitola Sports Center. Starakiewicz and Tibil finished the day undefeated in singles action as they both won over their Bryant opponents. Starakiewicz rolled to 6-1, 6-1 win at number one over Cristian Balestieri while Tibil, moved to the number two slot, knocked off Hart Callahan, 6-3, 6-4.

A Nickell's Worth

Following the Brown match, head coach Lee Nickell commented, "This was the first match of the season and we certainly played like it. We let too many opportunities pass in doubles and then fell a bit flat in a few of the singles matches." After the Bulls defeated Bryant, Nickell remarked, "The guys came out with better intensity today and it showed in our results. We still aren't as sharp as we would like to be but we have learned a lot and plan on being better prepared for a good Duquesne team."

Bulls, Dukes Tangle in Olean

The Bulls return to Western New York to face Duquesne on Sunday, January 30 in Olean. Originally coupled with a Saturday match at St. Bonaventure, the Bulls will play just the one match on the weekend and will attempt to reschedule the match with the Bonnies. The Bulls defeated Duquesne, 6-1, in last season's meeting at the Miller Tennis Center.