Box Score

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Nichols College men's tennis team concluded its spring break trip with a 9-0 decision over Lawrence in a non-conference match on Friday. With the win, the Bison improve to 8-3 overall and sport a 5-1 record so far this spring while Lawrence slips to 5-6 on the season.
 
In the opening doubles session graduate student David Drucker (Bellmore, N.Y.) and senior Justin DeLuca (Mashpee, Mass.) cruised to an 8-1 triumph at the second flight before first-year Eduardo Irizarry (Lajas, Puerto Rico) and sophomore Brandon Roode (Griswold, Conn.) delivered an 8-6 triumph at the top spot. First-years Carlos De La Cruz (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and Josh Halpern (Secaucus, N.J.) closed out doubles with an 8-5 victory at the third flight.
 
DeLuca (6-1, 6-1), Irizarry (6-1, 6-1), De La Cruz (6-4, 6-4) and Halpern (6-1, 6-0) sailed to straight set wins while Drucker's opponent retired in the second set as the Bison was ahead 6-0, 4-0. Roode was tested in the first set before dispatching his foe 7-5, 6-2.
 
“Our top four were once again extremely solid,” commented head coach Paul Brower. “Josh Halpern was particularly impressive at the bottom of our lineup. He played by far the most complete match of his season. Josh was great from the baseline and really hit through the court opening up some easy finishes at the net.”
 
Brower added, “Overall it was a strong effort by both teams on the trip. The guys really shined against some strong competition and I hope we can carry this momentum as we head back north and into conference play.”
 
Nichols opens Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Tuesday when the squad travels to Western New England for a 3:30 p.m. match. Lawrence faces Monmouth tomorrow.