The College of Staten Island men’s tennis team is officially unveiling their 2019 season with an indoor showdown against Yeshiva University this afternoon at 3:30pm. The Dolphins are returning a healthy nucleus from a season ago, boasting only two new faces overall, but the team is primed for an advanced run under new coach Ryan Frankel and their journey begins today against a Yeshiva team that toppled them a year ago.
CSI vs. YESHIVA UNIVERSITY
Matchup: College of Staten Island (0-0) vs. Yeshiva (2-3)
Where: CSI Tennis Center (Indoor Courts) – 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
All-Time Series: Yeshiva leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: March 27, 2018 – Yeshiva won, 7-2
Players to Watch (CSI): The Dolphins don’t have a great deal of numbers, sporting only eight men on the roster, but the dedicated unit is senior laden and features three current and former CUNYAC All-Stars. Raymond Hwang played a majority of time at the No. 1 position, and although he may yield that spot this season, he has been a mainstay at the top of the lineup. Fellow senior Matthew Vesci is closing out a great career and will also be near the top of the order after a quality campaign a year ago. Senior Alex Tsui led CSI with 10 wins last season in Singles action and was also named an All-Star a year ago. Look for freshman standout Ivi Selenica to make his presence felt. The Albanian native is looking to make a great mark on the program and will make his debut today on the courts.
Players to Watch (YU): Yeshiva already has five matches under their best and they are being led by Aaron Cohen, who has a win in each of the Nos. 1-2 slots. Jeremy Brody and Alexander Kalb have also added two wins each in singles play. Meanwhile in doubles, the team of Mikey Ozery and Amram Wahnon have won their last two matches at the No. 2 position and are 3-1 as a duo this season, look for them to want to stay hot on the indoor CSI courts today.
News & Notes: Yeshiva has won both all-time meetings over the Dolphins in their history, coming in each of the last two years. Yeshiva won in 2017, 9-0, and CSi was able to grab a couple of points in a 7-2 loss last year. Alex Tsui won in the No. 6 flight last year. Today marks the first time ever that the two teams are meeting on Staten Island. CSI finished 10-5 a year ago, a mark that included a 6-0 record at home, so the Dolphins are carrying a healthy streak coming into this one. As for the Maccabees, they were 14-6 last season, but were just 4-5 away from their home court. Yeshiva finished as champions of the Skyline Conference, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament a year ago.
