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LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Fairfield men’s tennis team dropped their first round 2012 NCAA Tournament match to host and three time defending champions, #1 USC, 4-0.
The Stags went into the dual fighting for the win, but couldn’t capture the doubles point. At No. 1 doubles, Dan Sauter and Dennis Zlobinsky dropped to Troy’s No. 2-ranked team of Steve Johnson and Roberto Quiroz, 8-2. In the two spot, USC’s Daniel Nguyen and Ray Sarmiento (ranked 35th nationally) defeated Joe Michalisin and Erik Kremheller, 8-1. Although No. 3 doubles was not finished because the Trojans clinched the doubles point after the first two wins, Cameron Amyot and Ian Tesmond were at deuce point with Emilio Gomez and Yannick Hanfmann, and behind 6-3.
USC ended the first round dual with the first three singles matches to finish. However, Fairfield was not going to let up without a fight, with quite a few games going to deuce point. In the one spot, Fairfield’s Sauter took on No. 1-ranked Johnson, the defending NCAA singles champion. The Stag dropped to Johnson, 6-0, 6-1. USC’s Ray Sarmiento, ranked 25th in the nation, followed soon after with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Tesmond at No. 2 singles. No. 51-ranked Hanfmann clinched the match for the Trojans with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Zlobinsky.
The Stags finish the season 16-5 having won their first MAAC title since the 1997-98 season and their first-ever NCAA berth.
Fairfield graduates three seniors this season, Michalisin, Sauter, and Mike Lessing.
Michalisin finishes his career as a Stag as the combined victories all-time leader with 169 wins, breaking down to a 79-39 singles record and a 90-42 doubles mark. As a standout all four years, Michalisin once again had a remarkable year going 15-10 in singles and a 20-10 in doubles action. This season he earned All-MAAC First Team awards for No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles. The Stag was also recognized for his accomplishments in the classroom, having received a spot on the MAAC All-Academic team. During his time with Fairfield, Michalisin racked up a number of awards including MAAC Rookie of the Year in ’09, MAAC Player of the Year awards in ’09 and ’10, First Team honors all four years, and All-Academic honors in his sophomore, junior and senior campaigns. He was also recognized as Fairfield University’s Men’s Rookie of the Year in his freshman season.
Sauter finishes his senior campaign with an impressive 72-43 singles record and an 85-45 doubles mark. He finishes his career ranked just behind Michalisin on the combined victories all-time chart with 157 total wins. Over his four years, Sauter garnered All-MAAC awards including Second Team honors for No. 2 singles and First Team doubles honors in his rookie campaign, All-MAAC Second Team No. 3 doubles and a MAAC Player of the Week award in his junior season, and finishing with his best season yet. Sauter earned All-MAAC First team No. 1 doubles honors, MAAC Player of the Week Awards for his play during the weeks of March 13 and April 24, and earning the title of the 2012 MAAC Men’s Tennis Championships Most Outstanding Player after clinching the MAAC Championship for the Stags with his win over Marist’s Rossi. In his senior season, Sauter owned a 14-9 singles record and a 19-11 doubles record and prior to the NCAA Tournament, held an eight-match win streak with doubles partner Zlobinsky.
Lessing finishes his career with a 9-22 singles record and going 18-20 in doubles action. This season he posted a perfect 2-0 doubles record in the MAAC and was 3-0 with both Sauter and Amyot in the spring at No. 3 doubles. This season he posted records of 0-1 in singles play and 10-7 in doubles. In his freshman campaign, Lessing captured the doubles consolation bracket at the Connecticut State Championships.
Amyot completes his freshman campaign with an impressive 15-7 singles record and a 19-6 doubles mark, earning All-MAAC First Team No. 3 doubles as a result. He finished a perfect 4-0 in conference doubles with partners Tesmond and Lessing, and clinched the MAAC semifinal match at the six spot against Niagara University.
Zlobinsky went 15-13 overall in singles play during his sophomore campaign. His 22-10 overall doubles record was good enough for All-MAAC First Team honors.
Sophomore Reece Breault finishes the season with a 5-4 singles record and a 3-5 doubles mark, making his career records 20-18 (singles) and 11-14 (doubles). He opened his singles season in the fall of 2011 with a win over Rider in the five spot.
Kremheller finishes his junior season with a 9-3 singles record and a notable 16-7 doubles mark. He earned a spot on the All-MAAC First Team at No. 2 doubles, as well as a spot on the MAAC All-Academic Team. The Stag played primarily at No. 4 or 5 singles and holds a 4-0 record in the four spot and 3-2 in the five spot. Kremheller posted a perfect 6-0 MAAC doubles record with partner Michalisin with whom he held an 11-match win streak before entering the NCAA Tournament.
Sophomore Bjorn Merinder finishes his season going 5-5 in singles action and 4-6 in doubles. He earned a spot on the MAAC All-Academic team this season while going a perfect 2-0 in conference play with his wins against Rider in the fall.
R.J. Mirabile finished his second season at Fairfield with a 5-7 singles record and going 4-8 in doubles and earning a spot on the MAAC All-Academic Team. He made his season debut in singles on Sept. 23 defeating Fairleigh Dickinson’s Afanasiev at the USTA Men’s Invitational.
Tesmond had an impressive debut with the Stags as a sophomore posting a record of 21-8 in singles and 21-6 in doubles. He earned a number of awards including All-MAAC First Team at No. 2 singles and No. 3 doubles, as well as a MAAC Player of the Week award for his outings during the week of March 27. He finished with a perfect 3-0 conference doubles record and went 13-1 in duals in doubles play. Tesmond held a nine-match win streak with partner Amyot entering the NCAA Tournament having gone 11-1 overall together, 9-0 in duals, and 2-0 in the MAAC. The Stag clinched his first doubles title at Fairfield with Michalisin at the Fairfield Doubles Tournament.
Freshman George Tioutine finished his season with a 5-4 singles record, and went 2-2 in doubles. He competed in nine matches during the year with big wins against Army, Boston University, Villanova, Lafayette College, Connecticut, and Sacred Heart. Tioutine clinched the match for the Stags against Boston University.
With their experience this season, and upsetting one-seed Marist College for the first time since 2009 in the MAAC Tournament, the Stags hope to recapture the title next season.
Doubles
(1) #2 S. Johnson/Quiroz (USC) def. Sauter/Zlobinsky (F) 8-2
(2) #35 Nguyen/Sarmiento (USC) def. Michalisin/Kremheller (F) 8-1
(3) Gomez/Hanfmann (USC) def. Amyot/Tesmond (F) 6-3, susp.
Order of Finish: 1, 2
Singles
(1) #1 Steve Johnson (USC) def. Dan Sauter (F) 6-0, 6-1
(2) #25 Ray Sarmiento (USC) def. Ian Tesmond (F) 6-1, 6-0
(3) #57 Emilio Gomez (USC) vs. Joe Michalisin (F) 6-1, 1-1 susp.
(4) #51 Yannick Hanfmann (USC) def. Dennis Zlobinsky (F) 6-2, 6-2*
(5) Roberto Quiroz (USC) vs. Erik Kremheller (F) 6-1, 4-1, susp.
(6) Eric Johnson (USC) vs. Cameron Amyot (F) 6-0, 5-1 susp.
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 4*
