Box Score | Box Score

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Nichols College men's tennis team was bested by Division I Connecticut, 5-2, before rebounding with a 9-0 triumph over Mass.-Boston on the first day of the squad's five-match spring training trip.
 
First-year Eduardo Irizarry (Lajas, Puerto Rico) finished the day with a 2-0 ledger at both singles and doubles as his doubles partner sophomore Brandon Roode (Griswold, Conn.) picked up a singles win against Mass.-Boston.
 
Irizarry and Roode delivered the lone double win against the Division I Huskies as they overcame four match-points and emerged with a 9-8 (7-5) triumph over sophomore Wayne Harrell (East Windsor, Conn.) and junior Ryan Carr (Madison, Conn.). UConn won the other two doubles flights to claim the first point of the match. In the singles session, senior Justin DeLuca (Mashpee, Mass.) topped Carr 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) at the second singles flight and Irizarry took the third flight as he bested freshman Mark HoSang (Bedford, N.H.) 6-3, 6-3.
 
The second match of the day took place in Kissimmee, Fla. where the Bison blanked Mass.-Boston  in a regional matchup. Roode and Irizarry claimed the first doubles flight, 8-3 before first-years Josh Halpern (Secaucus, N.J.) and Carlos De La Cruz (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) won the third, 8-4. DeLuca and graduate student David Drucker (Bellmore, N.Y.) closed out the session with a 9-8 (7-4) victory at the second flight.
 
Roode (6-4, 6-0), Irizarry (6-2, 6-3) and Halpern (6-2, 6-1) each took their respective flights in straight sets. Junior Dan Roman (Tolland, Conn.) posted a 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6) win at the sixth flight and sophomore Paul Healy (Pomfret, Conn.) took the fifth flight 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4). The match concluded after De La Cruz went 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6) at the third flight.
 
All three squads are back in action tomorrow as the Bison (5-3) will face Grinnell, the Beacons (1-1) will take on North Central and the Huskies (3-6) are slated to face Bradley.