Score: Ithaca College 9 – Elmira College 0
Records: Ithaca (5-3, 1-0 E8), Elmira (4-4, 0-1 E8)
Location: Murray Athletic Center – Pine Valley, N.Y.
 
PINE VALLEY, N.Y. -- Despite solid efforts up and down the Elmira College men's tennis lineup, the Soaring Eagles fell in their Empire 8 Conference opener to visiting Ithaca College, 9-0. With the loss, Elmira's four-match winning streak came to an end, as did EC's conference-opening win streak, which was snapped at two with this afternoon's setback.
 
The Elmira men were shorthanded for the entirety of today's match, which did not bode well when facing the Bombers, who are regularly challenging for conference championships with each passing season. As a result, the Soaring Eagles forfeited matches at third doubles and sixth singles, giving Ithaca a 2-0 lead before the first ball of today's match was struck.
 
Ithaca grabbed a pair of wins at first and second doubles by scores of 8-2 and 8-3, respectively. Singles action was also controlled by the Bombers, as they went on to win four of the five matches in straight sets.
 
Ithaca's only scare of the day was at second singles, as Patrick Tracey '18 – the reigning Empire 8 Player of the Week – pushed Nathan Wolf to three sets. Tracey utilized an early break of serve to win the opening set, 6-3, before falling in the second by a pair of breaks, 6-2. With today's match already decided, the two league rivals played a 10-point super tiebreaker in place of a full third set. Despite a valiant effort from the third-year lefty, Tracey fell to Wolf by a 10-5 score to wrap up today's action.
 
Scores
Singles
1. Colten Lavery (ITHACA) def. Anthony Colavito (ELMIRA) 6-1, 6-2
2. Nathan Wolf (ITHACA) def. Patrick Tracey (ELMIRA) 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-5)
3. Stefan Lazarevic (ITHACA) def. Yaniv Kogan (ELMIRA) 6-4, 6-1
4. Liam Spiegel (ITHACA) def. Stephen Gervase (ELMIRA) 6-1, 6-1
5. Garrett Boleslav (ITHACA) def. Jordan Curtis (ELMIRA) 6-0, 6-0
6. Sam McGrath (ITHACA) def. No player (ELMIRA), by forfeit
 
Doubles
1. McGrath/Wolf (ITHACA) def. Kogan/Colavito (ELMIRA) 8-2
2. Prestwich/Lazarevic (ITHACA) def. Tracey/Gervase (ELMIRA) 8-3
3. Boleslav/Spiegel (ITHACA) def. No player/No player (ELMIRA), by forfeit
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,5,4,1,3,2)
 
News and Notes

• Elmira's four-match winning streak came to an end.
• Elmira also had its streak of two consecutive conference-opening wins snapped.
• Today was EC's first loss since February 16, 2017.

 
Up Next
Elmira will look to bounce back from today's conference setback, as the Soaring Eagles travel to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, tomorrow afternoon for a match against Lycoming College. The non-conference bout is slated for 1:00 p.m.