Box ScorePOMFRET, Conn. – Junior
Josh Halpern (Secaucus, N.J.) had wins in doubles and singles as the Nichols College men's tennis team defeated Endicott 9-0 in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Saturday afternoon at the Pomfret School.
With the win, the Bison solidify the No. 2 seed in the CCC Tournament which begins next Saturday. Roger Williams, which defeated Nichols at the beginning of the month, has clinched the top seed.
Nichols is now 33-0 against the Gulls dating back to the 2012 season where the Bison defeated Endicott 6-0 in the CCC Semifinals – Endicott lost 6-3 during the last match of the regular season to Nichols that year.
The Bison (14-5, 6-1 CCC) jumped out to a great start, sweeping through the doubles matches. Sophomore
Joan Castillo (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and senior
Cam Lewis (Bolton, Conn.) put the Bison on the board first with an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles against seniors Michael Lauretano (Winchester, Mass.) and Justin Warshavsky (East Hartford, Conn.).
Senior captain
Brandon Roode (Griswold, Conn.) and freshman standout
Austin DuBois (Simsbury, Conn.) took care of business in the top slot, winning 8-2 over freshman Christopher Kirkpatrick (Newburyport, Mass.) and junior Michael Dolph (Stratford, Conn.).
At No. 2 doubles, Halpern and sophomore
James Smith (Monte Sereno, Calif.) played a tight match with junior Eric Pierce (Barrington, R.I.) and senior Eric Gandrup (Sudbury, Mass.) before winning 8-5.
The Bison turned up the heat in the singles matches. Halpern had no trouble with Lauretano at No. 4 singles, winning 6-0, 6-1 while Roode defeated Kirkpatrick 6-1, 6-2 in the top flight to clinch the match for the Bison.
DuBois moved to 14-0 on the year after defeating freshman Nicholas Eherts (New Milford, Conn.) in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6 singles.
Sophomore
Jake Zapatka (Wethersfield, Conn.) got the best of sophomore Sean McAndrews (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) at No. 5 singles, winning 6-1, 6-3. At No. 2 singles, Smith defeated Pierce 6-3, 6-2 and Castillo closed out the day with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win over Dolph at No. 3 singles.
The Bison close out their regular season at conference foe Western New England on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. The Gulls (7-6, 3-2 CCC) play at Eastern Nazarene on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
