April 12, 2012

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army men’s tennis moved into a tie for first place in the Patriot League standings after a 5-2 victory over conference foe Bucknell on Thursday afternoon at West Point’s Malek Courts. The Black Knights and academy rival Navy boast matching 4-0 conference marks this season, adding intensity to Saturday’s showdown in Annapolis.

Army (13-9, 4-0 PL) got off to a slow start as Bucknell (6-12, 1-2 PL) won two-of-three doubles matches to clinch the first point of the match. All three matches were highly contested as the Black Knights’ lone win was the only match decided without extra games. Sophomore Rommel Verano and Alex Holland defeated Scott Bernstein and Kelly Morque, 8-6, for their 10^th victory of the dual season and third straight.

Verano continued the strong play into his singles contest against Kyle Rosen at No. 5, knotting the score at 1-1 after knocking off Rosen 6-0, 6-1. Sophomore Asika Isoh then secured Army’s first lead of the match, one it would never relinquish, after defeating Gregg Cohenca, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1. Isoh improved to a team-best 19-11 on the year and 13-6 in duals.

Isoh’s doubles partner Henry Jang-Milsten extended the Black Knights’ lead to 3-1 after topping Morque, 6-0, 6-4 at No. 4. The Bison then narrowed the margin as Josh Katten defeated Holland, 7-5, 6-2 at No. 3.

After falling behind early in his first set to Evan Zimmer, freshman Alex Van Velzer rebounded to grab a 7-5 win before sealing the match for Army with a 6-2 victory in the second set. Van Velzer jumped to 12-7 in duals and 16-15 overall this season.

Peter Sienko rounded out the winners for the Black Knights as Sienko and Gregory Maxson battled through two sets at No. 6 with the Army plebe coming out on top 7-5, 7-5.

The victory over the Bison was Army’s 26^th straight over its league foe, improving the all-time series record to 26-3.

Saturday’s Star Match at Navy is slated for a 1 p.m., start. The Midshipmen stand at 15-7 this season and 4-0 in Patriot League matches. The Black Knights defeated Navy at West Point last season in dramatic fashion, 4-3.

Army 5, Bucknell 2
Doubles
1 Cohenca/Lynch (B) def. Isoh/Jang-Milsten, 9-8 (7-5)
2 Zimmer/Katten (B) def. A. Van Velzer/Sienko, 9-7
3 Holland/Verano (A) def. Bernstein/Morque, 8-6
2,1,3
Singles
1 Asika Isoh (A) def. Gregg Cohenca, 6-2, 6-3
2 Alex Van Velzer (A) def. Evan Zimmer, 7-5, 6-2
3 Josh Katten (B) def. Alex Holland, 7-5, 6-2
4 Henry Jang-Milsten (A) def. Kelly Morque, 6-0, 6-4
5 Rommel Verano (A) def. Kyle Rosen, 6-0, 6-1
6 Peter Sienko (A) def. Gregory Maxson, 7-5, 7-5
5,1,4,3,2,6