Box Scores: Gordon / Anna Maria

DUDLEY, Mass. - The Nichols College men's tennis team earned a pair of wins Wednesday as they defeated Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) rival Gordon College and non-conference opponent Anna Maria College by identical 8-1 scores. 

Nichols 8, Gordon 1

Led by graduate student Justin DeLuca (Mashpee, Mass.) and junior Brandon Roode (Griswold, Conn.), the Bison handed Gordon its third conference loss of the season. Scots' junior Dan Christensen (Attleboro, Mass.) provided the lone victory for the Scots with a three-set comeback at fifth singles.

Nichols jumped on the board early by cruising to an 8-2 win at second doubles. Freshman Joan Castillo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and sophomore Carlos De La Cruz (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) dropped the first game of the match, but rallied off eight of the final nine games to take the first point of the match 8-2.

Junior Andrew Haas (Whitinsville, Mass.) and freshman Dan Roberts (South Windsor, Conn.) went up 4-0 on sophomore Daniel Dufoe (Malvern, Pa.) and Christensen at third doubles. Gordon's third flight duo fought back to bring the match within two games, but Nichols staved off the rally to go up 2-0. DeLuca and Roode completed the doubles sweep by taking the final two games in an 8-6 win at the top flight. Sophomore Zach Hall (Sugar Land, Texas) and senior Kenny Gaudio (Miller Place, N.Y.) battled the Nichols' captains, but their six-match win streak came to an end.

With a 3-0 lead, the Bison hastily clinched an overall match victory with straight-set victories at the second and fourth singles' flights. De La Cruz didn't drop a single game at fourth singles against sophomore Richie Armand (Hempstead, N.Y.) and Roode fought off windy conditions to down Gaudio, 6-1, 6-0.  

The Scots only victory came at fifth singles with Christensen grinding out a three setter against Haas. The Bison junior dominated play in the first set, beating Christensen 6-1, but Gordon's steady fifth starter was unfazed. Christensen overcame a three-game deficit in the second set and doubled up Haas in the third-set tiebreak, 10-5.

Freshman Sachin Panchal (Somers, Conn.) picked up his first collegiate victory at sixth singles, with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Dufoe. Castillo also won by the same score at third singles.

In perhaps the best match of the day, DeLuca edged out Hall in two sets - 6-2, 7-5. Both players displayed some brilliant tennis, but DeLuca's veteran presence was enough to move him past the Gordon sophomore. DeLuca has never lost a singles match in Commonwealth Coast Conference play.

Courtesty of Gordon Sports Information

Nichols 8, Anna Maria 1

The Bison's pairing with the AMCats had identical results. Nichols started the evening by sweeping the doubles matches.

The No. 2 and No. 3 teams both won 8-0. Senior Dan Roman (Tolland, Conn.) and freshman Dan Sullivan (Burlington, Mass.) defeated freshman Tyler Crabb (Wareham, Mass.) and senior Eric Boll (Millbury, Mass.) at No. 2 doubles while freshman Jake Zapatka (Wethersfield, Conn.) and junior Cam Lewis (Bolton, Mass.) got the best of sopohomore Tim Patenaude (Monson, Mass.) and junior George Kirtsy (Holden, Mass.) at No. 3 doubles.

Freshman James Smith (Monte Sereno, Calif.) and sophomore Josh Halpern (Secaucus, N.J.) played a back-and-forth match with sophomore Dillon George (Holden, Mass.) and junior Calvin Weeks (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) at No. 1 doubles before coming away with an 8-5.

Nichols (13-1) won each of the singles matches in straight sets. Zapatka and George had a very even match at No. 1 singles with Zapatka ultimately coming away with the win 6-4, 6-3.

Junior Bradley Minton (Dudley, Mass.) and Lewis both won their singles matches 6-0, 6-0. Minton took down Boll at No. 6 singles while Lewis defeated Patenaude at No. 3 singles.

At No. 2 singles, Roman defeated Weeks 6-0, 6-1 and sophomore Joseph Beasley (Eastham, Mass.) beat Kiritsy 6-4, 6-2 at No. 4 singles.

The AMCat's lone win of the evening came at No. 5 singles when Crabb defeated freshman Nathan Alexander (East Hartford, Conn.), 6-3, 6-4.

The Bison (13-1) travel to take on the Coast Guard Academy on Friday at 4:00 p.m. The AMCats travel to take on Becker College tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.