Sept. 25, 2005

PRINCETON, NJ - Saint Joseph's seniors Jimmy Holland, Chris Spencer and A.J. Garabedia all posted opening round victories at the 2005 Farnsworth Invitational Men's Tennis Tournament at Princeton's Lenz Tennis Center. The Hawks also received an opening round win from freshman Pat Adams.

Holland defeated Columbia's Jared Drucker in the first round (7-6, 6-2) of the "A" draw and put a scare in #2 seed Penn's Mikhail Bekker, an eventual finalist, before being forced to retire trailing 7-5, 3-0.

Spencer, Garabedian and Adams all won their opening match in the "B" pool but were then defeated in the second round. Spencer was extended to three sets before edging Virginia Tech's Reaves Robinette (6-2, 4-6, 6-3). He then fell to Princeton's Andrew Husby, the seventh seed, in teh round of 16 (6-3, 6-4). Garabedian ousted Princeton's Mark Gober (6-2, 6-1), but was then edged in a tight three set match by the #3 seed Princeton's Alex Krueger-Wyman (4-6, 7-5, 7-5). Likewise, Adams easily won his first match against Tech's Akil Burgess (6-1, 6-2), but fell in a tight three setter to #8 seed Princeton's Alex Vukovic (6-1, 3-6, 7-5).

Several other Hawks also competed and dropped their opening matches, including senior Antonio Aniello and freshmen Brent Kahl, Brian Costello and Phil Bayliss. In the consolation bracket, both Aniello and Bayliss nothched wins with the freshman reaching the consolation semifinals before falling to Yale'sJoe Vellanikaran, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.

In doubles Holland and Aniello paired in the "A" bracket and despite a strong showing were edged by teh #2 seeds Princeton's Hans Plukas and Andrew Lieu, 8-6.

Garabedian and Bayliss, meanwhile teamed up to reach the "B" Pool semifinals.