The Dolphins are coming off of their first victory of the season last weekend, and after several days of being idle, they are getting set for their first conference match of the season when they face off against Hunter College at the CSI Tennis Center at 12 Noon. It will be the first CUNYAC meet of the season for CSI, while their opponents will be over the halfway mark in conference play after this afternoon’s meet.
CSI vs. HUNTER COLLEGE
Matchup: College of Staten Island (1-1, 0-0 CUNYAC) vs. Hunter (3-2, 3-0 CUNYAC)
Where: CSI Tennis Center – 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
All-Time Series: Hunter leads, 23-17
Last Meeting: April 29, 2018 – Hunter won 6-0
Players to Watch (CSI): The Dolphins are coming off of a great day against St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn. Matthew Vesci was a double-winner. He was a part of the No. 2 Doubles team and was a winner in the top flight in Singles play. Vesci is now 2-0 in Doubles this season, along with Tao Lin, who also picked up a win in Singles. Ivi Selenica picked up his first win, playing in Doubles only. Also picking up their first wins yesterday were Raymond Hwang, Lesly DeCastro and Alex Tsui.
Players to Watch (HC): Hunter is being led by the great play of No. 1 ace Nasser Ghaffar who is sporting a 4-1 record through five matches this season and is backing it up with a pair of wins in doubles play as well. Nicholas Caicedo and Omer Khalifa are both undefeated to start the season, having played in three matches each at Singles and winning all three. Khalifa has played in flights 2-4, while Caicedo has played at No. 3 and Nos. 5-6. Rhodondo Jeraman has also had a nice start to the season sporting a 3-1 overall mark, including a 2-0 mark at No. 6. The duo of Jose Agregado and Hyle Burrus have been the most successful doubles team for Hunter, sporting a 2-0 record so far.
News & Notes: Hunter has a nice edge in the all-time series over CSI at 23-17 overall, helped nicely by the fact that they have taken five-straight meetings over CSI since 2016. Last year, Hunter defeated CSI during the regular season, 8-1, and they back it up with a 6-0 win in the CUNYAC Tournament. These two teams also met in the 2017 CUNYAC Tournament, with the Hawks taking a 5-2 win. CSI’s last win over Hunter was back on April 4, 2015, a razor-thin, 5-4, decision. Today marks the 26th all-time meeting at CSI, where CSI has a 14-11 record. So far, these two teams share just one common opponent in Yeshiva University. Both teams fell to Yeshiva, 8-1. After starting 0-2, Hunter has reeled off three-straight wins, all against CUNYAC competition (York, John Jay, Lehman).
