Recap
The Nichols College men's tennis team opened up its spring schedule by splitting a pair of non-conference games, losing to Franklin Pierce 8-1 before defeating Colby-Sawyer 8-1 at the Pomfret School in Pomfret, Conn.

Match 1 – FPU vs Nichols
The Bison (1-3) picked up their lone point at the No. 4 singles when senior Sebastian Penaloza defeated Nkrumah Patrick 6-3, 6-2. FPU took all three doubles matches before taking five of the six singles matches. Nichols junior Brandon Howard took his opponent at the No. 3 singles to a third set before losing in a tie-break.
 
Match 2 – Colby-Sawyer vs Nichols
Nichols (2-3) started off strong by sweeping the doubles matches 8-4, 8-1, 8-1 before taking five of the six singles. Senior Blake Norton recorded two wins - one in doubles and one in singles. Meanwhile, Penaloza picked up his second and third wins on the day, improving to 3-1 in doubles and singles play combined. Colby-Sawyer picked up its lone win at the No. 6 singles, as Julius Lowman defeated senior Aidan Stuart in three sets, 6-2, 3-6, 9-11.
 
Three things you need to know…
-The Bison who were a perfect 7-0 at home last season are now 1-3 thus far in 2018-19.
-Nichols improves to 16-12 all-time against Colby-Sawyer.
-Franklin Pierce picked up its first win in three tries against Nichols.
 
Quote
"Today was a long day of tennis to kick off our spring. Franklin Pierce came out strong. We really competed well, and the individual matches were pretty tight. We played far stronger against Colby-Sawyer in the back half. Doubles came out quick and we had some guys fight through fatigue from the early match to produce wins. Penaloza really stood out by winning two singles matches against solid players. Hopefully we all build on today's efforts as we get ready for Assumption on Thursday." -Nichols head coach Paul Brower
 
Next Match
Thursday, March 14 vs Assumption, 3:00 p.m.