MERION STATION, Pa. – Senior Kyle Chalmers tied the program record for career singles victories on Sunday as the Saint Joseph's men's tennis team swept a pair of matches with 7-0 shutout wins over both Rider and Saint Peter's at the SJU Tennis Complex.
On Senior Day, Chalmers tied the mark of 73 singles wins that was originally set by Antonio Aniello from 2002 to 2006. Classmates Tristan Boustany and Valentijn van Erven celebrated their final day of play on the Maguire Campus with two wins apiece as well.
Chalmers and sophomore partner Tim Stierle swept both of their top-flight doubles matches, taking a 6-1 result against Rider before getting past a duo from Saint Peter's, 6-2. Junior Peter Dewitt and sophomore Dan Tan were 6-3 winners in the second flight against the Broncs to clinch the point in the early match.
Later on against the Peacocks, freshmen Scott Battaglia and Beekman Schaeffer won their second flight match at love before junior Nick Ringle and sophomore Alexander Schneider finished the doubles sweep with a 6-3 win in the third flight.
Saint Joseph's (13-10) did not drop a set in singles play on Sunday, either. In the early match, Dewitt made quick work of his fourth-flight opponent, winning 6-0, 6-0, before Stierle and Chalmers finished off straight-sets wins in the first and second flights to clinch the win over Rider.
Boustany and van Erven polished off the sweep of the Broncs; Boustany earned a 6-2, 6-1 win in the third flight, while van Erven was a 6-4, 6-2 winner in the fifth.
Against Saint Peter's, Boustany and sophomore Andre Fick and rolled to identical 6-1, 6-0 wins in the third and second flight respectively before sophomore Michael Santa Lucia posted a win in fifth flight by the same score to clinch the match result.
Freshman Luis Janko earned a 6-1, 6-2 result in the sixth flight and van Erven took a 6-1, 6-3 win in the fourth before Chalmers finished the day with a 6-3, 7-5 win in the first flight for his record-tying 73rd career win.
“Senior Day for the men turned out to be much better than forecasted both for the weather and the results,” head coach Ian Crookenden said. “Every player on the squad played, and by winning every match, showed that the depth of our squad bodes well for future seasons.
“I challenged the squad to send the seniors a message of appreciation for the leadership they have all given to them, and they responded with some very confident, positive play. We head to the conference championships with high expectations regardless of where we are seeded.”
The Hawks will now head to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, for the 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship. Play begins on Wednesday.
Saint Joseph's 7, Rider 0
Doubles
1. Kyle Chalmers / Tim Stierle (SJU) def. Griffen Clark / Brandon Gildea (RID), 6-1
2. Peter Dewitt / Dan Tan (SJU) def. Adam Levi / Chris Popso (RID), 6-3
3. Tristan Boustany / Valentijn van Erven (SJU) def. Matthew Begley / Jeremy Van Herwarde (RID), default
Singles
1. Stierle (SJU) def. Popso (RID), 6-3, 6-1
2. Chalmers (SJU) def. Begley (RID), 6-1, 6-1
3. Boustany (SJU) def. Gildea (RID), 6-2, 6-1
4. Dewitt (SJU) def. Levi (RID), 6-0, 6-0
5. Van Erven (SJU) def. Clark (RID), 6-4, 6-2
6. Luis Janko (SJU) def. Van Herwarde (RID), default
Game Scores
Singles: Saint Joseph's 60, Rider 15
Doubles: Saint Joseph's 12, Rider 4
Total: Saint Joseph's 72, Rider 19
Saint Joseph's 7, Saint Peter's 0
Doubles
1. Chalmers / Stierle (SJU) def. Ivan Knezevic / Andres-Sebastian Rojas (SPU), 6-2
2. Scott Battaglia / Beekman Schaeffer (SJU) def. Cuong Lam / Gabriel Russotto (SPU), 6-0
3. Nick Ringle / Alexander Schneider (SJU) def. Jonathan Paredes / Douglas Nover (SPU), 6-3
Singles
1. Chalmers (SJU) def. Knezevic (SPU), 6-3, 7-5
2. Andre Fick (SJU) def. Rojas (SPU), 6-1, 6-0
3. Boustany (SJU) def. Nover (SPU), 6-1, 6-0
4. Van Erven (SJU) def. Russotto (SPU), 6-1, 6-3
5. Michael Santa Lucia (SJU) def. Paredes (SPU), 6-1, 6-0
6. Janko (SJU) def. Lam (SPU), 6-1, 6-2
Game Scores
Singles: Saint Joseph's 73, Saint Peter's 18
Doubles: Saint Joseph's 18, Saint Peter's 5
Total: Saint Joseph's 91, Saint Peter's 23
