Saturday, April 5
Bethlehem, Pa.
10:00 AM
Lehigh University
4
vs
2
Army
Photo by: Lucas Morrell
Lehigh Triumphs 4-2 Over Army On Senior Day
4/5/2025 4:04:00 PM | Men's Tennis
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh men's tennis honored seniors Marc Blekhman and Luke Donovan on Senior Day ahead of their match against the Army West Point Black Knights on Saturday morning. The Mountain Hawks defeated the Black Knights 4-2, avenging last season's Patriot League quarterfinal loss.
"This is a huge win for the team," said head coach Craig Schwartz. "It was a special day with it being Senior Day and having alums there. This win proves to the guys that all the work we've been putting in is starting to pay off, and what better than getting the W against Army, which doesn't happen often."
Lehigh's (9-8, 3-1 PL) win over Army (11-5, 4-2 PL) marks only the third time that the Mountain Hawks have beaten the Black Knights since 2010. The Mountain Hawks last defeated the Black Knights in 2022 by a score of 4-0.
The Mountain Hawks had a strong start to doubles play, as Blekhman and Sean Jaeger took care of business 6-2 at number one. Shortly after, Donovan and Jose Murariu claimed a 6-1 victory to clinch the opening doubles point for Lehigh. Rafael Gracie and Jackson Morash's match at number three was last unfinished.
After dropping two lopsided decisions in doubles, the Black Knights rallied to get themselves back into the match. Jack Armistead pulled out a two-set win over Murariu at number one to get Army on the board. Vishnu Bodavula then defeated Morash in two sets at number four, and suddenly the Black Knights led 2-1.
At number three, Jaeger earned a 7-5, 6-4 decision over Jack Hanna to tie the match at 2-2. Blekhman's three-setter over Alan Ton at number two put the Mountain Hawks one win away from the clinch. After moving indoors due to inclement weather, Ofer Hacohen bested Marcus Sebastain 6-3, 6-2 at number five to clinch Lehigh's first win over Army in three years.
"It was a huge win for Ofer, and I think he dealt with the pressure, stuck to his guns and played his style of tennis," said Schwartz. "Without our first-years, this team wouldn't be where we're at. Ultimately this is a team sport, and we need everyone to contribute."
The Mountain Hawks will be back in action on Sunday, April 6 at home to take on Boston University. Doubles matches will begin at 10 a.m.
"When I talked to the guys after the match, I told them to enjoy this, but now we need to start looking forward to tomorrow and preparing the proper way," said Schwartz. "It's another opponent that we lost to last year, so we're trying to flip the script and get as many wins against these guys as possible. We're excited and ready to compete hard again tomorrow."
Singles
Jackson Armistead (Army) def. Jose Murariu (Lehigh) 6-2, 6-1
Marc Blekhman (Lehigh) def. Alan Ton (Army) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Sean Jaeger (Lehigh) def. Jack Hanna (Army) 7-5, 6-4
Vishnu Bodavula (Army) def. Jackson Morash (Lehigh) 6-4, 6-4
Ofer Hacohen (Lehigh) def. Marcus Sebastain (Army) 6-3, 6-2
Benedict Horn-Bourque (Lehigh) vs. Davis McDonald (Army) 4-6, 2-3 DNF
Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 2, 5
Doubles
Blekhman/Jaeger (Lehigh) def. Ton/Sebastain (Army) 6-2
Murariu/Donovan (Lehigh) def. Hanna/Feoli (Army) 6-1
Gracie/Morash (Lehigh) vs. Armistead/Choi (Army) 3-5 DNF
Order of finish: 1, 2
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"This is a huge win for the team," said head coach Craig Schwartz. "It was a special day with it being Senior Day and having alums there. This win proves to the guys that all the work we've been putting in is starting to pay off, and what better than getting the W against Army, which doesn't happen often."
Lehigh's (9-8, 3-1 PL) win over Army (11-5, 4-2 PL) marks only the third time that the Mountain Hawks have beaten the Black Knights since 2010. The Mountain Hawks last defeated the Black Knights in 2022 by a score of 4-0.
The Mountain Hawks had a strong start to doubles play, as Blekhman and Sean Jaeger took care of business 6-2 at number one. Shortly after, Donovan and Jose Murariu claimed a 6-1 victory to clinch the opening doubles point for Lehigh. Rafael Gracie and Jackson Morash's match at number three was last unfinished.
After dropping two lopsided decisions in doubles, the Black Knights rallied to get themselves back into the match. Jack Armistead pulled out a two-set win over Murariu at number one to get Army on the board. Vishnu Bodavula then defeated Morash in two sets at number four, and suddenly the Black Knights led 2-1.
At number three, Jaeger earned a 7-5, 6-4 decision over Jack Hanna to tie the match at 2-2. Blekhman's three-setter over Alan Ton at number two put the Mountain Hawks one win away from the clinch. After moving indoors due to inclement weather, Ofer Hacohen bested Marcus Sebastain 6-3, 6-2 at number five to clinch Lehigh's first win over Army in three years.
"It was a huge win for Ofer, and I think he dealt with the pressure, stuck to his guns and played his style of tennis," said Schwartz. "Without our first-years, this team wouldn't be where we're at. Ultimately this is a team sport, and we need everyone to contribute."
The Mountain Hawks will be back in action on Sunday, April 6 at home to take on Boston University. Doubles matches will begin at 10 a.m.
"When I talked to the guys after the match, I told them to enjoy this, but now we need to start looking forward to tomorrow and preparing the proper way," said Schwartz. "It's another opponent that we lost to last year, so we're trying to flip the script and get as many wins against these guys as possible. We're excited and ready to compete hard again tomorrow."
Singles
Jackson Armistead (Army) def. Jose Murariu (Lehigh) 6-2, 6-1
Marc Blekhman (Lehigh) def. Alan Ton (Army) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Sean Jaeger (Lehigh) def. Jack Hanna (Army) 7-5, 6-4
Vishnu Bodavula (Army) def. Jackson Morash (Lehigh) 6-4, 6-4
Ofer Hacohen (Lehigh) def. Marcus Sebastain (Army) 6-3, 6-2
Benedict Horn-Bourque (Lehigh) vs. Davis McDonald (Army) 4-6, 2-3 DNF
Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 2, 5
Doubles
Blekhman/Jaeger (Lehigh) def. Ton/Sebastain (Army) 6-2
Murariu/Donovan (Lehigh) def. Hanna/Feoli (Army) 6-1
Gracie/Morash (Lehigh) vs. Armistead/Choi (Army) 3-5 DNF
Order of finish: 1, 2
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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