University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Bucknell
UConn Grabs 4-2 Win Over Bucknell
2/17/2019 1:19:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – The UConn men's tennis team close out their weekend homestand with their second-straight win, beating Bucknell 4-2 Sunday morning at the East Hartford Tennis Club. The Huskies improve to 7-5 overall on the season.
UConn continue their strong play in doubles, winning at No. 2 and No. 3 to seal the opening point. Senior Jack McLister (Leesburg, Va.) and sophomore John Michael Holtmann (Coral Gables, Fla.) set the table with a 6-2 win at No.2 over Drew Krantz and Max Garramone and the senior-freshman combo of Justin Warren (Durham, N.C.) and Josh Samuels (Sarasota, Fla.) close it out.
Warren and Samuels won at No. 3 over Alex Pedrazzini and Ryan Jurist, 6-4. "Today was Justin Warren and Joshua Samuel's turn to clinch the doubles point," commented associate head coach Reinaldo Valor. "Joshua really stepped up playing in his second doubles match of the season for the injured Christian Provenzano. I'm really proud of Joshua stepping these last two days and Justin helping him navigate the big moments."
In singles action, Holtmann put the Huskies up 2-0 with an opening win at No.2, 6-1 and 6-2 over Andrei Vitiuc, improving to a team-best 16-12 on the season. Warren put the Huskies up 3-1 in the match with a 6-1 and 6-2 win at No. 5 over Adrien Crastes, his 13th singles win this season.
UConn's No. 1 player, sophomore Yili Zheng (Shanghai, China) closed out the UConn win with a three-set victory over Max McDonald. The two split the first two sets, Zheng winning the first 6-3 but losing the second 6-4. The sophomore took the match and gave UConn the win with a 6-2 win in the third.
"It was another big team win with Yili clinch the match for the Huskies," said Valor. "We need to get back to work this week and get ready for a very good Villanova team on Saturday."
The Huskies will host Villanova in their next match on Saturday, February 23 at the East Hartford Tennis Club.
Players Mentioned
