Box Score

POMFRET, Conn. - The Nichols College men's tennis team opened up their Spring season with a 9-0 victory over Franklin Pierce Tuesday afternoon at the Strong Field House.

The Bison had no trouble with the Ravens, winning every match in straight sets to improve to 4-0 on the season. Franklin Pierce drops to 2-6.

The closest match of the day came at No. 1 doubles. Graduate student Justin DeLuca (Mashpee, Mass.) and junior Brandon Roode (Griswold, Conn.) bounced back-and-forth with senior Patrick Gilhuly (Killingsworth, Conn.) and junior Christopher Brewer (Brattleboro, Vt.) before taking the match, 8-5.

The No.2 doubles team of sophomore Carlos De La Cruz (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and freshman Jake Zapatka (Wethersfield, Conn.) defeated the sophomore team of Jared Taylor (Pelham, N.H.) and Drew Bennett (Rindge, N.H.), 8-2. The Ravens didn't fair too much better in the No. 3 doubles match as the junior tandem of Aras Banevicius (Canton, Conn.) and Mark Petrie (Pembroke, Mass.) fell to senior Dan Roman (Tolland, Conn.) and sophomore Josh Halpern (Secaucus, N.J.), 8-3.

Halpern got things started on the singles side, posting a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6 against Banevicius. No.3 Zapatka clinched the day's victory defeating Taylor 6-2, 6-1. Freshman Joan Castillo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Replublic) played exceptional in his lone match of the day, defeating No. 4 Petrie 6-3, 6-1.

No. 1 DeLuca defeated Gilhuly 6-1, 6-1, while No. 2 Roode cruised to victory 6-1, 6-2 against Brewer. De La Cruz rounded out the evening by defeating Bennett in an eight-game pro-set, 8-1.

"This was a good start to the season," said Nichols head coach Paul Brower. "We really took it to them with really smart and solid play. Overall, I am happy with the result."

Nichols next four matches will be in Puerto Rico starting with a 2:30 p.m. contest against the University of Connecticut on Sunday, March 23. Franklin Pierce returns to action March 30 at American International at 11:00 a.m.