Posted: Apr 25, 2011

Seahawks begin defense of TCCC crown

Isch led the Seahawks with 10 singles wins this season

NEWPORT, R.I. - The Salve Regina University men's tennis team begins defense of their The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Championship Monday afternoon when the No. 7 seed Seahawks travel to No. 2 Roger Williams University for a 3 p.m. match.

The Seahawks (5-11) finished the conference season 5-6, including a 6-3 loss to the Hawks on April 6. Roger Williams posted a 10-1 conference mark (13-6 overall) and closed the regular season winning its last eight TCCC matches. The Hawks lone blemish was a 5-4 loss at Nichols on March 29.

The Seahawks lead the all-time series with Roger Williams, 21-10, but the Hawks have won four of the last five meetings. This year marks the fourth-consecutive year the two schools have met in the conference playoffs, the last three of which were in TCCC Championship. Salve Regina scored an 8-1 win in the championship in 2008, but the Hawks claimed the championship the following year with a 5-2 win in Bristol.

Last season, Salve Regina knocked off Roger Williams in TCCC Championship, 5-4, in Bristol. With the match tied at four, then-freshman Aaron Isch (North Reading, Mass.) rallied back after dropping the first set to post a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles. The win gave the Seahawks their record 15th TCCC Championship.

Isch led the Seahawks with 10 singles wins this season, seven of which came at No. 3 singles. Sophomore Chad Strong (San Diego, Calif.) was second with nine singles wins, followed by junior Zachary Rosenfeld (Easton, Conn.) with six. The doubles teams of Strong and Rosenfeld and Isch and junior Brian Castrichini (Winchester, Mass.), each recorded eight wins.

For the Hawks, sophomore Jason Pacino (North Reading, Mass.) won a team-high 12 singles matches - nine of which came at No. 4 singles. Junior Kevin Erikson (Tolland, Conn.) was next with 11, followed by freshman Taylor Webster (Bristol, R.I.) with 10 and junior Jeff DeNunzio (Barrington, R.I.) with nine. The doubles pair of Erikson and senior Dan Kletiz (Wethersfield, Conn.) racked up a team-best 10 doubles wins, all while playing No. 1.

In other quarterfinal action, No. 1 Nichols (14-4, 11-0 TCCC) will host No. 8 Wentworth (6-7, 5-6 TCCC) in Dudley, Mass.; No. 3 Western New England (13-4, 9-2 TCCC) plays host to No. 6 Eastern Nazarene (10-8, 6-5 TCCC) in Springfield, Mass.; and No. 4 Endicott (10-7, 8-3 TCCC) entertains No. 5 Gordon (10-9, 6-5 TCCC) in Beverly, Mass. All three matches begin at 3 p.m.