STAFF REPORTS
news@allwnynews.com
The Purple Eagles men’s and women’s tennis teams are back on the road to play Rider on Friday and Wagner on Saturday.
After winning two straight, Niagara men’s tennis (4-15, 0-4 MAAC) has lost its last four matches. The Purple Eagles have won at least won doubles match in the last two matches. Taylan Ozdemir leads the team with 10 singles wins.
The Rider Broncs men’s tennis team has lost their last four matches. Ryan Ciaccio leads the Broncs with six singles wins. NU has won the last 12 meetings.
The Wagner Seahawks lmen’s team (12-7, 4-1 NEC) has won their last two matches and this will be their final match before the NEC Conference Tournament. Five Seahawks are in double-digit singles wins led by Anatoliy Lashkul who is 14-11 on the season. Eric Poland, who has 13 wins in singles, is on a team-best four-match win streak. Dale Sandy and Anatoliy Lashkul is a team-best 16-9, including 12-4 in No. 1 doubles, and is team-best 4-1 record in conference.
The Purple Eagles women’s tennis team (3-15, 1-3 MAAC) lost two close matches last weekend to Marist and Fairfield. Niagara’s No. 1 Stella Peisakhova has a team-leading 11 wins on the season and is 5-5 in her last 10 matches, including winning her last two matches (Marist, Fairfield). Peisakhova is 3-1 in MAAC play. Sansriti Ranjan has won her two last matches and is second on the team with seven wins.
Rider’s women’s team has lost its last two matches. The doubles team of Vanessa Canda and Cyd Melendez is 9-7 on the season. Melendez is a team-best 10-6 in singles, with all 16 matches played in the two spot, and is 2-3 in MAAC play.
Wagner’s women have played four MAAC teams this season. Brenda Cumpa is a team-best 10-6 in singles. Niagara defeated Wagner, 6-1, in the most recent meeting on March 29, 2013.