Match Results
BEVERLY, Mass. — Wentworth junior Dylan Melnik (Wake Forest, N.C.) overcame a one-set deficit at fifth singles to decide a 5-4 match in favor of the Leopards on Wednesday at Bass River Tennis Club. Melnik rallied past Gordon junior Dan Christensen (Attleboro, Mass.) to clinch the sixth and final spot in the Commonwealth Coast Conference playoffs beginning on Saturday. The Fighting Scots end their season with a 2-6 conference record and 7-13 overall.
 
With the final conference playoff spot on the line, the match between the Fighting Scots and Leopards did not disappoint. Wentworth's Nate Schwartz (Chester Springs, Pa.) and Josh Dowd (Bristol, Conn.) got the Leopards on the board first with a convincing 8-4 win at second doubles.
 
The Fighting Scots answered only a few minutes later with an impressive showing at third doubles. Daniel Dufoe (Malvern, Pa.) and Richie Armand (Hempstead, N.Y.) won six of the final seven games in the match to pull out an 8-3 triumph. Gordon's top duo of Kenny Gaudio (Miller Place, N.Y.) and Zach Hall (Sugar Land, Texas) swung the match in the Scots' favor when they survived a scare from the Leopards, 9-8 (8-6).
 
Hall pushed Gordon's blossoming lead to two matches with a straight-set victory at first singles, 6-2, 6-0. Hall ends the season with the second best record in the CCC for individual performance.
 
Wentworth's Zach Peter (Preston, Conn.) staved off Daniel Alvarado (Bedford, N.H.) in the first set, winning closely in a tiebreaker. Peter took control of the second set and grabbed the Leopards' second point of the day—7-6, 6-2 at sixth singles.
 
The Leopards took two of the next three matches to be decided, winning at second and third singles with straight-set victories. Richie Armand brought the Fighting Scots within a point of the playoffs with a 6-3, 6-2 win at fourth singles.
 
A tightly contested match came down to a fifth singles match where neither opponent was willing to give an inch. Christensen looked to be in control early, jumping out to a 5-2 lead in the first set before winning 6-4.
 
Melnik rebounded in the second set, taking a familiar 5-2 lead over the Gordon junior. However, Christensen fought back to force a tiebreak situation in the set. Christensen held two match points in tiebreak, but Melnik fended off each one and sent the match to a final set. There, Melnik was able to outlast Christensen 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 to send the Leopards to the postseason.
 
Gaudio ends his four-year career as the most productive player in Gordon program history, holding the career record for wins.