District of Columbia Suffers Early Exit From NCAA Tournament; Falls to Queens, 5-3
FLUSHING, NY - The University of the District of Columbia men's tennis team's 2012-13 season came to a close as the No. 4 seeded Firebirds fell to No. 5 seed and host, Queens College, 5-3 in the NCAA East Regional 1st round. The loss concludes the season, one in which the Firebirds claimed the regular season East Coast Conference title with an 11-5 overall record and 5-0 regular season record in league play.
The Firebirds, having already defeated the Knights this season by a score of 6-3, looked poised to take this match as well, claiming two of the three victories in doubles play. Junior Carlos Quiroga (Electrical Engineering – Valencia, Venezuela/Maria Montessori) and freshman Simon Bratke (Business – Bonn, Germany/Collegium Josephinum Bonn) soared to an 8-1 victory over Alexander Morris and Adam Pizow. The Knights took the next point, with Younes Hidass and Christopher Baron defeating senior Aleksandar Grabovac (Psychology – Ljubljana, Slovenia/Gimnazija Euro Sola Ljubljana) and sophomore Simon Andersson (Business Management – Ystad, Sweden/Sydskanska Gymnasiet), 8-3. The last doubles match went in favor of the Firebirds, with junior Miguel Uzcategui (Electrical Engineering – Valencia, Venezuela/Colegio Sagrado Corazon) and junior Ike Kiro (Business Management – Milnerton Ridge, South Africa/Milnerton HS) notching an 8-2 win over Nikolaj Wulff and Andre Pellegrino.
Singles play began with a win for the Firebirds by Andersson over Pellegrino, 6-0, 6-1, to give them a comfortable, 3-1 advantage. However, the Knights came charging back. Next, Pizow defeated Bratke, 6-4, 6-2. Queens then tied the match with a win at the No. 1 singles match by Hidass over ECC Player of the Year, Grabovac, by a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. The Knights then claimed the lead with a close win by Wulff over Kiro, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Finally, in the No. 5 singles match, Morris defeated Quiroga to claim the match-clinching victory. The last singles match was halted due to the win by Queens.
This season, the Firebirds were able to make it to the NCAA Division II East Regional tournament for a second year in a row. East Coast Conference Head Coach of the Year, Dickie Mahaffey, returns five of six players on the roster for next season, including ECC First Team selections Ike Kiro and Miguel Uzcategui.
UDC – 3, Queens College – 5
Doubles
1. Hidass/Baron (QC) def. Grabovac/Andersson 8-3
2. Uzcategui/Kiro def. Wulff/Pellegrino (QC) 8-2
3. Quiroga/Bratke def. Morris/Pizow (QC) 8-1
Singles
1. Younes Hidass (QC) def. Aleksandar Grabovac 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. Nikolaj Wulff (QC) def. Ike Kiro 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
3. Miguel Uzcategui vs. Christopher Baron (QC) 5-7, 6-4, 1-1
4. Simon Andersson def. Andre Pellegrino (QC) 6-0, 6-1
5. Alexander Morris (QC) def. Carlos Quiroga 7-5, 6-3
6. Adam Pizow (QC) def. Simon Bratke 6-4, 6-2
UDC -3
QC - 5
Order of Completion
Doubles: 3, 1, 2
Singles: 4, 6, 1, 2, 5
Season Record (W-L): 11 - 5, ECC: 6 - 1