2007 NEWMAC MEN'S TENNIS TOURNAMENT - Wheaton falls short in third straight championship match against MIT

April 28, 2007

CAMBRIDGE, MA- The second-seeded Wheaton College men's tennis team faced number one Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament championship match for the third consecutive year but narrowly came up short, 5-3 against the only tournament champion in the league's nine-year history.

Wheaton is ranked 12th regionally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), while MIT is ninth. Earlier in the day, the Lyons picked up a 5-0 semifinal win against third-seeded Springfield College.

In its match against MIT, Wheaton took two of three doubles points to lead heading into singles play before coming up short in its quest to hand the Engineers their first NEWMAC loss in regular season or tournament competition. Seniors Brian Danishevsky (Hamden, CT/Hamden Hall Country Day School) and Raymour Radhakrishnan (Amherst, NH/Bridgton Academy) notched an 8-2 win in the second position, while classmate Will Stoddard (Huntington, VT/Mount Mansfield Union) and freshman James Little (Mount Desert, ME/Mount Desert Island) made quick work of their number three opponent, 8-1.

During singles play, senior Payum Payman (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) downed nationally-ranked senior Thomas Dohlman (Wellesley, MA/Wellesley) for the second straight Saturday, picking up a 6-4, 6-2 win in the top spot. Dohlman is ranked 12th in the nation by the ITA and third in the Northeast region. That was Wheaton's lone singles victory, as three Engineers won in straight sets, while Stoddard narrowly lost in three for the Lyons.

In the match against Springfield, Wheaton's doubles teams combined to earn the Lyons a trio of points. Dressler and Payman notched an 8-3 win at the top spot, and Danishevsky and Radhakrishnan were victorious by an 8-5 final at number two. In the third position, Stoddard and Little corralled an 8-6 win.

During singles, Dressler and Payman won their matches to give the Lyons a team victory by decision. Payman earned a 6-2, 6-1 triumph in the first position, while Dressler notched a 6-2, 6-3 win at number three to give the Lyons their fifth point. Dressler completed his spring with a perfect 15-0 record, while Payman extended his match winning streak to 11.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 4/28/07.
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