Vassar hosts top players in tennis tourney

Lucas Mann Assistant Sports Editor

The Annual Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Championship made its 2006 home at Vassar College from Sept. 29-Oct. 1. Entries from 17 different northeastern colleges converged in Poughkeepsie, bringing with them more racket bags, awkward-length socks, and kids admonishing themselves in the third person than Vassar has ever seen. More importantly, however it made Vassar the center of one of the biggest Division III tennis tournaments.

Three Brewers made it through to the third round of the 64-player tournament. Mike Mattelson ’10 had the unfortunate luck of running into repeat champion Mikhail Gurevich of New York University (NYU) in the third round, and played a tough match before losing 6-3, 6-2. Ashish Patil ’08 was brilliant at times, losing an exciting three-setter to Jeremy Eckhardt from the College of New Jersey. But Mattelson and Patil both had more tennis left to play. As the fourth-seeded doubles team in the tournament, the pair dominated opponents in the first three rounds. They fell to University of Rochester’s team of Thanos Kantarelis and Eric Hanson 8-5 in the semi-finals.

Saturday night, though, one Brewer was still fighting through the singles bracket. Erik Skartvedt ’07 advanced all the way to the semi-finals, playing gritty tennis throughout. In the third round, facing Liberty League rival James Micheroni of Hobart, Skartvedt spent the entire second set in pain after injuring his abdomen, yet still held off Micheroni's speed and power with a steady display of touch.

Using a vicious forehand slice and more drop-shots than have been seen since professional tennis player Aranxia Sanchez-Vicario retired, Skartvedt dispatched Micheroni and kept his momentum going through the quarter-finals. In the quarters, Skarvedt beat another Liberty Leaguer, Josh Rucker of Skidmore, 6-0, 6-2.

Due to heavy rain, Sunday’s matches were moved indoors to Walker Field House, forcing Skartvedt to play on his third court surface in three days. This move proved an unfortunate one for the Brewer, whose slower, crafty style of play is less-suited to the faster indoor courts. The final score of 6-0, 6-1 does not quite reflect Skartvedt’s tenacity, however. Several games went from deuce to advantage and back again before tipping to Matt Dwyer of St. Lawrence. Many of Skartvedt’s shots hit just a bit wide or long, a fact that led to his building and visible frustration.

“I was happy to get to the semis, just because thats the best I’ve ever done in the ITAs,” said Skartvedt. “My goal obviously was to win it. I didn’t play my best tennis, but I got through a lot of matches that were tough.”

Still, the tournament proved a great success for Vassar men’s tennis. The best Division III players in the Northeast came to Poughkeepsie and the Brewers competed solidly. Skartvedt’s run to the semifinals was another achievement in a Vassar career that includes two consecutive All-Liberty League first team selections.

NYU’s Gurevich emerged from Walker as the winner, defending his title and automatically qualifying for the ITA National Small Colleges Championships. He beat Eckhardt 6-0, 7-5, 6-2. Rochester’s team of Kantarelis and Hanson, who had been given a fight in the semi-finals by Patil and Mattelson, won the doubles championship 8-4 over Matt Dwyer and Jon Satkowski of St. Lawrence.

This year’s field was tough and the Brewers held their own, besting some talented opponents and falling to some of the best. Head Coach Ki Kroll saw playing host for the weekend as a positive experience for the whole Vassar tennis program. “Although it’s a huge undertaking, it’s quite rewarding,” said Kroll. “We will apply again next year to host, and hope that we are fortunate enough to once again bring the ITAs to Vassar.”

Skartvedt agreed that Vassar was fortunate to be able to host the prestigious tournament. “There are only eight [regional tournaments] in the whole country,” he said. He added it was great “to have one of them on our home court.”

This fall season, the Brewers are now 1-1 as a team, with a second-place finish in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship. They have another tournament coming up this weekend, on Oct. 6: the Wallach Invitational. After the strong showing this weekend, the Brewers can have high hopes to see some maroon and gray on the courts on day three.

Additional reporting by Acacia O’Connor, Senior Editor