WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (April 7, 2013) – The Saint Francis University men's tennis team went 1-1 against Northeast Conference foes this weekend, falling 5-2 to Mount St. Mary's before rebounding with an easy 6-1 win at Monmouth.

The Red Flash first traveled to Emmitsburg, Md. and found themselves battling not only Mountaineer players but also high winds and 20 mile-per-hour gusts.  Mount St. Mary's was coming off several strong matches in which it almost upset the NEC's top seeded Bryant, George Mason and Delaware.

Doubles action saw tight matches across the board but Red Flash was not able to secure the point.

Andres Rosa (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Colegio la Piedad) and Lawson Barter (Chicago, Ill./Loyola), no. 2 for SFU were up 5-2 and on serve but failed to close. Unable to break, SFU found itself at 5-4. Barter, down 40-15 and on serve, floated a second serve, allowing Mount to rip a return winner down the line. Tied up at 5-5, Red Flash scraped up a break but that was the last opportunity before falling 8-6.

Sergio Carvajal (Nueva Esparta, Venezuela/U.E. Fray Elias Maria Sendra) and Washi Gervais (Longueuil, Quebec/College Stanislas), no. 1 for SFU went down 3-0 with two breaks down. They fought back to 4-3 but could not find and opportunity to break and went down 8-5.

“I'm not completely happy with the way we play doubles today,” said Flash coach Paul Tobin. “With the amount of time we devote to doubles tactics during practice, I feel that we should be more consistent and aggressive at the net. I think the wind was a huge factor, but the players just need to adjust.”

In singles play, Saint Francis secured wins in the nos. 2 and 3 positions but failed to pick up two additional points for the team win.

There were plenty of missed opportunity for the Red Flash. Several players had big leads but failed to convert them into wins. Chris Jimenez (Bayside, N.Y./St. Francis Preparatory), back in action at no. 5, was up 3-1 in the first set only to give up three serving opportunities to trail 4-3. Jimenez found one more break, but it wasn't enough against Mount's Mike Zabetakis.

Lawson Barter (Chicago, Ill./Loyola) at no. 4 had a similar fate. Up 4-1 in the first, Barter faltered and let five games slip going down 6-4 against Austin Blake 6-4, 6-2.

Singles wins came from no. 2 Rosa and no. 3 Carvajal. Carvajal broke twice in the first set and easily coasted to a 6-3 win. In the second set, Carvajal saw a break at 3-3 and held to close out the match.

With the match already decided, Rosa fought back three set points to close out his match with Mount's Adam Solomon.  Rosa was down 5-3 in the first set and fought a break while down 40-0. Serving to tie it up, Rosa nailed two aces to lead 40-0. With things even at 5-5, Rosa was unstoppable pulling out another break and serving opportunity to take the first set 7-5. Mount's Salam came out strong in the second taking a break at 4-3. With both players holding and Rosa up 40-15 on Salam's serve, Rosa let two break points slip to tie at deuce. Rosa hit two return winners to break and tie things up at 6-6. Rosa had the momentum going in the tiebreaker and took the first three points. Both players held serve but Salam could not find another breaking opportunity and lost 7-6.

“I have to give Mount players lots of credit,” said Tobin. “This was their day and they stepped up. We had players that did not perform as well as they should have – they let the wind effect them.”

The next stop for the Red Flash was Monmouth. Competing at their facility in West Long Branch, SFU came together to secure a 6-1 win against a team they have never before beaten.

Doubles action saw some tense action as the teams split wins. With the deciding match at no. 2, Rosa and Barter dug themselves out of a huge whole to secure the win and doubles point. Down 6-3, 40-15 and on serve Rosa shot back three service winners to take the game. The Frankies kept it going with another break, but found themselves down 7-5 and on serve. Both teams held and the Flash was looking for one break. They got the break and brought things to 8-7, Saint Francs needed one break to take things to a tiebreaker. Down 30-0, Rosa fired a return at Mount forcing a net error. SFU took the next two points to tie it up at 8-8. In a dramatic finish, both teams went back and forth holding serve. The break came for SFU at 5-5 and Barter served for the win.

“Despite being on edge, this was great tennis and exciting to watch,” said Tobin. “The men didn't let the pressure get to them and that is tough to do. They pulled out a great win that helped create the positive energy in singles.”

Despite sweeping singles, Monmouth put up a great fight and pressed SFU in several positions.

No. 1 Gervais, coming off a tough loss at Mount was leading 6-4 3-2, but started cramping. Gervais, unable to move and unwilling to concede, lost 6-4 in the second set. Still cramping, Gervais went in the third set tiebreak without being able to serve effectively. In a dramatic finish, Gervais fought back to 9-7 and serving for the match. Unable to serve overhead, Washi floated an underhand serve. The ball skidded low and forced a weak return. That was enough for Gervais who hit a forehand winner to secure the win.

“This is what heart looks like,” said Tobin, “You can't teach that kind of commitment and mental strength.”

Perhaps one of the biggest comebacks in SFU history no. 5 Jimenez down 6-1, 5-0 won the next 10 games to win 6-4 in the third against Monmouth's Jason Rothstein.

In another dramatic comeback, no. 3 Carvajal, already down 5-1 in the first set against Monmouth's Jason Prezant, fired back six straight games to close out 7-5. Carvajal then easily rolled 6-0 in the second set.

“Great win for the men, they played with heart and determination,” said Tobin. “Having never beaten Monmouth makes this a very special occasion. This is the kind of energy we need all the time.”