University of Delaware Athletics
Kent, Derene/LeBlanc Claim Championship Titles at Hampton Road Invitational
10/8/2011 11:27:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Kent, along with the rest of the University of Delaware men's tennis team enjoyed success at the event.
Kent went the distance in the Singles Universal Level 9 and up bracket, reaching the championship round. Kent cruised to a 6-0, 6-4 victory on Saturday over Loyola's Harrison Kunkel and followed up with a 5-7, 7-5, 10-8 win against James Madison's Bastien Russo. Seeing a second James Madison foe in a row, Kent defeated Tommy Nissinen 7-6 (4), 3-6, 13-11 to claim the title.
Nolan Gelman joined Kent in the Level 9 bracket, reaching the semifinals with a 6-1, 7-6 (10-0) win over Howard's Eric Chavous. In the semis, Gelman fell JMU's Tommy Nissinen 6-4, 6-2, but took third place after defeating Russo 6-1, retired in the challenge bracket.
Also in the Level 9 Bracket, Jason Derene and Evan Andrews met in the third-place bracket, which was not contest. Derene was his first round match versus Jordan Borsanyi from George Mason 6-3, 6-3 but fell to Jovan Milic of James Madison 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals. Andrews picked up a 6-2, 6-1 win against Patrick Glaessner but fell in the semis to champion Taylor Sargent 2-6, 2-6.
Derene and Andrews were scheduled to meet one another in the third-place bracket, but played non-Delaware opponents instead. Derene won his match against Patrick Mulquin of George Mason 6-3, 4-6, 10-6. Andrews knocked off 5-7, 6-3, 12-10.
In the second Singles Universal Level 8 bracket, freshman Ian LeBlanc (at right) finished in fifth place, falling to eventual runner up Christian Romanzini from Norfolk State 3-6, 2-6, but rebounded in the consolations to knock off George Mason's Patrick Mulligan 6-1, 6-2. In the fifth-place match up, LeBlanc defeated William & Mary's Zach Braig 6-4, 6-4.
Adam Lawton represented Delaware in the Level 11 Bracket. Lawton fell in his first match 3-6, 2-6 against JMU's Greg Vladimirsky. In the consolations, Lawton picked up a 7-5 6-1 victory against George Mason's Jimmy Davis, 7-5, 6-1. Lawton fell in the fifth place round however, narrowly edged out 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 (7-5) by Norfolk State's Arsenio Culver.
Joining Lawton in the Level 11 Bracket was sophomore Troy Beneck. The Wilmington, Del. native won his first match 6-4, 6-3 over Culver, but was relegated to the third-place bracket after falling in the semifinals 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 against eventual champion Alejandro Argente of VCU. Beneck finished fourth place after dropping a 6-4, 7-5 decision to Vladimirsky.
In doubles action, Derene and LeBlanc brought home the title, winning all three of their matches in the Level 8-9 bracket. The pair opened with an 8-5 win over Norfolk State's Austin and Brian Bullock. The Blue Hens narrowly edged out Gotto and Fitzgerald of Loyola (Md.) 8-6. In the finals, Derene and LeBlanc claimed the title 8-3 over Mason's Borsanyi and Barker.
Beneck and Lawton took fifth-place in the Level 11 bracket, falling in their first round match against VCU's Svensson and Salomon 8-5. The Blue Hen pair got a bye into the fifth place round where they knocked off Norfolk State's Arsenio Culver and Ben Marks 8-6. With the bye, Beneck and Lawton picked up an extra match against finalists Pool and Nissinen. The Hen pair won 9-8 (7-1).
Kent and Andrews joined forces, advancing to the semifinals after defeating King and Shulman of Christopher Newport College 9-7. The Delaware partnership was knocked into the third-place bracket after falling to Sentenac and Russo of James Madison, the eventual champions, 8-6.
Kent and Andrews met up with another Delaware pair in the third place bracket after Vorobyov and Gelman were knocked out of the semifinals. The latter pair won their first match 8-2 against Loyola's Glaessner and Zinger but fell 9-8 (7-1) to the runner up pairing of Davis and Scott Keaton.
The two squads were close in the third place match, but in the end it was Kent and Andrews who came away with the win 8-6.
Next on the docket for the Hens is the Lehigh Tournament. Action is set to begin on Oct. 15 and run through Oct. 16. Matches will be contested at the Lewis Tennis Center/Ulrich Varsity Courts. The tournament will feature Delaware, Lehigh, Loyola (Md.), St. Francis (Pa.), Bucknell and Buffalo.)
Players Mentioned
