SATKOWSKI AND BOLTZ CLAIM

LIBERTY LEAGUE HONORS

Sept. 24: Senior co-captain Jon Satkowski and first year student Nick Boltz have been honored by the Liberty League for their efforts at the 2008 SLU Fall Classic.

Satkowski successfully defended his "A" Singles title at the event this weekend. The Salisbury Mills, NY native didn't drop a set the entire tournament and also reached the "A" Doubles finals for the second straight year.

Meanwhile, Boltz won four matches this weekend en route to the "B" Singles Championship at the Fall Classic. The Simsbury, CT also didn't lose a single set throughout the tournament as he defeated Rochester's Patrick Sheehan 6-3, 6-2 to win the title.

The Saints men's tennis team will have this weekend off before returning to action at the 2008 ITA Championships in Willingboro, NJ.

SATKOWSKI AND BOLTZ EARN SINGLES

TITLES AT FALL CLASSIC

Sept. 21: Senior co-captain Jon Satkowski captured his second consecutive “A” Singles title at the St. Lawrence University Fall Classic on Sunday, while first year student Nick Boltz represented the host team well with a straight set win to clinch the “B” Singles Championship in the Newell Field House as well.

Satkowski earned a berth in his third straight “A” Singles final with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Jose Guzman of RIT.  The defending champion then handled Rochester’s Ryan Kovaleski, 6-4, 6-2, to earn his second straight title at the event.  Kovaleski advanced to the finals thanks to a thrilling 6-1, 1-6, 11-9 win over St. Lawrence senior Pete Abernethy in the semifinals.

Boltz would need to take care of a pair of Yellowjackets to claim the “B” Singles draw, as he first knocked off Rochester’s Bennett Peterson 6-3, 6-0 to set up a final match with UR’s Patrick Sheehan who previously beat Hamilton’s Mike Moreno, 7-6 (5), 6-4.  The Simsbury, CT native did not disappoint, as he never allowed Sheehan to gain momentum, winning the match 6-3, 6-2.

In the “C” Singles bracket, St. Lawrence junior co-captain Chris Rodilosso found himself in a tough match against Rochester’s Alex Magill in the semifinals.  Though he dropped the second set, Rodilosso kept his composure and battled his way to a 6-4, 2-6, 10-7 victory to earn a spot in the finals against Rochester’s Brian Schmeer.

Rodilosso, though, would be forced to default in the championship match due to severe cramping, giving Schmeer the “C” Singles title.  Rodilosso was also forced to default along with sophomore partner Jake Dexter in the “B” Doubles draw, giving Rochester’s Dan Barbash and Matt Volkov a spot in the finals.

Barbash and Volkov met a pair of teammates, Peterson and Adam Crosby, in the “B” Doubles finals after the later pairing defeated Hamilton’s Henry Ciocca and Mark Segal 8-3.  Barbash and Volkov would pull through in the all-Rochester final with an 8-6 victory.

The “A” Doubles final had been set on Saturday, as St. Lawrence’s top duo of Satkowski and junior Chris McDonald were to take on Kovaleski and Brian Bowman of Rochester.  In a rematch of last weekend’s No. 1 doubles match at the Flower City Tournament which was won by the Saints, Kovaleski and Bowman earned their revenge with an 8-3 win to capture the “A” Doubles crown.

The St. Lawrence University men’s tennis team will have next weekend off before returning to action at the 2008 ITA Championships in Willingboro, NJ.

SATKOWSKI ADVANCES IN SINGLES AND

DOUBLES AT SLU FALL CLASSIC

Sept. 20: The St. Lawrence University men’s tennis team hosted Day One of the 2008 SLU Fall Classic on Saturday at the Sammis Tennis Courts.  Seniors Jon Satkowski and Pete Abernethy advanced to the semifinals of the “A” Singles bracket, while first year student Nick Boltz and junior Chris Rodilosso each advanced to the semis in their respective singles flights.

Satkowski, who had a bye in the first round, knocked out Rochester’s Brian Bowman 6-4, 6-4 to advance to his semifinal match-up with Jose Guzman of RIT, who took care of Nazareth’s Steve Trobert 6-4, 6-1.  Meanwhile, Abernethy won two matches on Saturday, including a first round 6-3, 7-6 (2) win over Nazareth’s Adam Landry followed by a tough 6-3, 4-6, 10-5 win against Hamilton’s Greg Kreitzer. 

Abernethy will square off with Rochester’s Ryan Kovaleski for a spot in the “A” Singles finals after Kovaleski rallied past St. Lawrence junior Chris McDonald, 3-6, 7-5, 10-6.  McDonald had won a grueling 6-1, 2-6, 17-15 first round match against RIT’s John Traver.

Coming off of an impressive weekend at the Flower City Tournament, Boltz continued to impress with back-to-back victories over Pete Erwin of Hamilton (6-2, 6-4) and Clayton Tontarski of RIT (6-2, 6-0).  He will take on Rochester’s Bennett Peterson after Peterson eliminated Hamilton’s Mark Segal, 6-4, 7-5.

The other half of the “B” Singles bracket includes Patrick Sheehan of Rochester and Mike Moreno of Hamilton who each earned straight set victories in the second round.

Three of St. Lawrence’s four “C” Singles representatives won their first round matches, including sophomore Jake Dexter (6-4, 6-4 over Mauricio Pommier of RIT), Ren Gates (6-2, 7-6 over Corey Maher of RIT) and Rodilosso (6-4, 6-1 over Dan Gross of Hamilton).  Though Dexter and Gates would be eliminated in the second round by Matt Volkov and Brian Schmeer of Rochester, respectively, Rodilosso would knock out RIT’s Adam Wolf, 6-4, 6-0, to advance to the semifinals.  He will face Rochester’s Alex Magill, who defeated teammate Daniel Barbash, 6-3, 6-3, while Volkov and Schmeer square off in the other semifinal.

In “A” Doubles action, Satkowski and McDonald paired up to eliminate Tontarski and Larry Hall of RIT, 8-6, earning a date with Schmeer and Magill of Rochester for a spot in the finals.  The Saints’ veteran duo outlasted the Yellowjackets, 8-5, but will again face a Rochester pairing in the finals.  Kovaleski and Bowman knocked out RIT’s top team of Guzman and Traver 8-3 before advancing to the finals with an 8-4 victory against St. Lawrence’s Will Cook and Abernethy.

Rochester also advanced two teams into the “B” Doubles semifinals, as Barbash and Volkov beat Nazareth’s Matteo and Caiella 8-3 while Peterson and Crosby rallied against St. Lawrence’s Boltz and Ren Gates for a 9-7 win.  Peterson and Crosby draw Hamilton’s Henry Ciocca and Segal, who knocked out Nazareth’s Alex Bodensieck and Alex Wilczak 8-4.  Meanwhile, Barbash and Volkov will face the St. Lawrence pairing of Rodilosso and Dexter, who won twice on Saturday to advance to the semifinals.  They handled Max Bogue and Maher of RIT 8-2 before holding off Moreno and Victor Zimmermann of Hamilton, 8-6.

Day Two of the 2008 SLU Fall Classic is slated to begin at 9:00am at the Sammis Courts.