Lehigh Tops Colgate 6-1 in Second League Victory of the Season

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BETHLEHEM, Pa – The Lehigh men’s tennis team improved to 2-0 in league play with its win over Colgate on Sunday. The Mountain Hawks defeated the Raiders 6-1 at Lewis Tennis Center.

Lehigh started off slow, winning one match during doubles play. First-year Luke Donovan and junior Michael Bukhalo secured the win at the No. 3 spot. Donovan and Bukhalo defeated Colgate’s Tejas Gutpa and Benito Vlassis 7-6 (7-2).

The Mountain Hawks were down 1-0 going into singles play but did not let that stop them from finishing with a win. Lehigh went on to win all six singles matches to secure its fifth consecutive win over the Raiders.

First-year Marc Blekhman got things started for the Mountain Hawks. Blekhman defeated Rohan Gutpa from Colgate 6-4, 6-1 in the second flight. Junior Matt Kleiman followed suit, giving Lehigh the 2-1 lead over Colgate. Kleiman defeated Colgate’s Mike Thomas at the No. 3 spot.

Senior Zack Elliott continued to make his final year at Lehigh count, grabbing another win in singles play. Elliott fell to Jack Selati 0-6 in the first set before going on to defeat him 6-2, 7-5 in the next two sets. Fellow senior Gary Fishkin secured Lehigh’s win against Colgate during singles. Fishkin defeated Colgate’s Benito Vlassis 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Bukhalo picked up his second win of the day during singles play, defeating Nate Romig 6-3, 3-6, 10-7 at the No. 5 spot. Sophomore Jordan Paul finished things off for Lehigh, defeating Colgate’s Nick Potter 8-7 in the sixth flight.

The Mountain Hawks will remain in Bethlehem for two matches next weekend. Lehigh will host Navy on Saturday, April 2 at 10 am On Sunday, the Mountain Hawks will battle Lafayette in the Rivalry presented by Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute. The match will begin at 3 pm on April 3.

doubles

1. Selati / Romig (Colgate) def. Elliott-Nazaroff (Lehigh) 6-3
2. Potter / Gupta (Colgate) def. Blekhman-Fishkin (Lehigh) 7-6
3. Donovan / Bukhalo (Lehigh) def. Gupta / Vlassis (Colgate) 7-6 (7-2)

Order of finish: 1, 2, 3

singles

1. Zack Elliott (Lehigh) def. Jack Selati (Colgate) 0-6, 6-2, 7-5
2. Marc Blekhman (Lehigh) def. Rohan Gupta (Colgate) 6-4, 6-1
3. Matt Kleiman (Lehigh) def. Mike Thomas (Colgate) 7-5, 7-5
4. Gary Fishkin (Lehigh) def. Benito Vlassis (Colgate) 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
5. Michael Bukhalo (Lehigh) def. Nate Romig (Colgate) 6-3, 3-6, 10-7
6. Jordan Paul (Lehigh) def. Nick Potter (Colgate) 8-7

Order of finish: 2, 3, 1, 4, 5, 6