April 21, 2008

LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's tennis team is prepared to play its final home match of the 2008 season on Tuesday afternoon, against Delaware at 2 p.m. Tuesday's match marks Senior Day for the Bison; senior captains Ira Reibeisen (Armonk, N.Y./Rye Country Day-Upper School) and Ben Young (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) will be playing in their final home contest of their collegiate careers. The Bison (10-8, 3-2 PL) are set for a busy week; after hosting Delaware, Bucknell will play at Bloomsburg on the road on Wednesday, before heading to Hamilton, N.Y., for the Patriot League Tournament this weekend at Colgate.

Bucknell Men's Tennis Notebook

Last Time Out ... Against Lafayette, April 13 -
- Bucknell closed out a two-match weekend against league opponents with a 5-2 win at Lafayette on April 13. The Bison opened the weekend with a 5-2 loss at Army on April 12. The Orange and Blue moved to a season record of 10-8 overall and 3-2 in league play after the win against Lafayette, closing regular season league play in third behind Army in first and Navy in second. This was the first time Bucknell finished the regular season in the top-three of the Patriot League since 2001.
- Junior Ryan Sandburg (Orange, Calif./Canyon) was able to clinch the victory for Bucknell, coming from behind in his match at No. 2 singles to win 12 of the last 13 games in the match to defeat Matt McGranaghan by a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
- The Bison opened the match taking the doubles point with wins at all three positions. At No. 1, Sandburg and senior Ira Reibeisen (Armonk, N.Y./Rye Country Day-Upper School) defeated Brett Kraft and Lee Kojanis, 8-2, while at No. 2, junior Jonathan Brenner (Manhassett, N.Y./Chaminade) and freshman Anton Kovic (Montreal, Quebec/Milton Academy (Mass.)), topped Eric Wiley and James Murphy, 8-5. Rounding out doubles, freshman Mark Malloy (Bronxville, N.Y./Hackley School) and senior Ben Young (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) won against McGranaghan and Kyle McLelland, 8-5.
- Bucknell won four matches in singles play. First off the court was Malloy, winning at No. 6 against Murphy, 6-1, 6-2. Next, Reibeisen defeated Wiley at the first position, 6-2, 6-2, before Sandburg secured the win with his victory at the No. 2 position. Brenner then picked up a win at the No. 4 position, defeating Kojanis, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

The Delaware Blue Hens -
- Delaware currently owns a record of 8-7 this season. The Blue Hens' final match this spring will be at Bucknell this Tuesday afternoon.
- In a series that began in 1933, Bucknell has defeated Delaware 27 times, lost 21 times and tied once.
- Last season, Bucknell lost to Delaware by a score of 4-3, on April 24, 2007.

The Bloomsburg Huskies -
- Bloomsburg currently holds a 13-4 record this season and will play its last regular season match at home against Bucknell on Wednesday.
- In a series that began in 1931, Bucknell has defeated Bloomsburg 12 times and lost on 14 occasions.
- Last season, Bucknell defeated Bloomsburg by a score of 6-1 on April 18, 2007.

Bucknell Team Leaders -
- After Bucknell's match at Lafayette, Malloy continues to lead the Bison in doubles wins, now with 13 this season, while Young follows with 12. In singles, Malloy and Sandburg boast a team-high 11 wins this spring.

Spring 2008 Singles Records -
- Ira Reibeisen - 8-6 (No. 1)
- Ryan Sandburg - 11-8 (4-1, No. 1), (7-7, No. 2)
- Zach Hascoe - 10-7 (3-0, No. 2), (7-7, No. 3)
- Jonathan Brenner - 9-10 (1-0, No. 2), (4-1, No. 3), (4-9, No. 4)
- Mark Malloy - 11-6 (1-0, No. 4), (6-3, No. 5), (4-3 No. 6)
- Anton Kovic - 8-10 (1-0, No. 3), (3-2, No. 4), (2-5, No. 5), (2-3, No. 6)
- Daniel Bednarek - 1-0 (No. 5)
- Jamie Watson - 1-0 (No. 6)
- Ben Young - 4-1 (No. 6)

Spring 2008 Doubles Records -
- Ryan Sandburg / Ira Reibeisen - 10-7 (No. 1)
- Jonathan Brenner / Anton Kovic - 10-7 (No. 2)
- Ben Young / Mark Malloy - 12-4 (No. 3)
- Jonathan Brenner / Ryan Sandburg - 0-2 (No. 1)
- Ira Reibeisen / Anton Kovic - 0-2 (No. 2)
- Zach Hascoe / Mark Malloy - 1-1 (No. 3)
- Daniel Bednarek / Jamie Watson - 1-0 (No. 3)

Current Bison in Bucknell's Record Books -
- All-Time Top-10: Combined Victories
- Ira Reibeisen - 143 (No. 1)
- Ryan Sandburg - 115 (No. 2)
- Jonathan Brenner - 97 (No. 7)
- Ben Young - 88 (No. 8)
- All-Time Top-10: Singles Victories
- Ira Reibeisen - 75 (No. 1)
- Ryan Sandburg - 48 (No. 7)
- All-Time Top-10 Doubles Victories
- Ira Reibeisen - 67 (Tied No. 1)
- Ryan Sandburg - 67 (Tied No. 1)
- Jonathan Brenner - 57 (No. 2)
- Ben Young - 47 (No. 7)

Bison Honors in 2007-08 -
- On Jan. 31, Bucknell men's tennis was picked third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll with 48 points. Navy led the way in first with 70 points and 10 first-place votes and Army followed in second with 64 points and four first-place votes. Rounding out the list was fourth-place Colgate (44 points), fifth-place Lehigh (31 points), sixth-place Lafayette (25 points) and seventh-place Holy Cross (12 points).
- On Nov. 14, Reibeisen was named Patriot League Player of the Month and on Oct. 3, he received an honorable mention for Player of the Month.

Looking Ahead -
- The Orange and Blue will play at the Patriot League Tournament, this weekend, April 25-27, in Hamilton, N.Y.