DUDLEY, Mass. (10/12/24) – The Nichols College men's tennis team played host to Amherst College and Connecticut College in a three-team, dual match style tournament at the Robinson Tennis Courts on Saturday afternoon.

The Bison opened the day with a 7-0 loss to Amherst, before narrowly falling to Connecticut College in a hard-fought battle, 4-3. The Bison now shift to 1-2 overall on the year.

Match #1 vs Amherst College (0-0)

The Mammoths got things started with wins at all three doubles positions, winning by scores of 6-1, 6-2 and 6-0.

In singles, the Bison put up a solid fight despite coming up empty handed. Amherst extended its lead 3-0 with wins five and six, before claiming the clinching point at No. 3 singles by a 6-2, 6-1 score. From there, it was an extended battle to see if any momentum would swing in Nichols' favor, with freshman Rodolfo Hernandez nearly forcing a third set at the No. 2 position, losing by scores of 6-1, and 6-4. Senior Enzo Matos Balleux also stood out on court four, falling by narrow 6-3 decisions in each set.

The momentum would unfortunately remain with the Mammoths, as they finished off the sweep with a win at the top position.

Match #2 vs Connecticut College (3-1)

The Camels opened their final match of the afternoon with a 6-3 victory on the No. 2 doubles court, before clinching the available point with a 7-5 win at the top position. However, Nichols made their presence known on court three, with Matos Balleux and freshman Jose Nunez winning via a 7-6 tiebreak.

The Bison evened the odds with a 6-5, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles, courtesy of senior Richard Hartmann Zuzio. Nichols then took its first lead of the day thanks to fellow senior Kerem Subasi, who defeated his opponent by scores of 6-4, 6-3. However, the Camels showed resilience with a quick response, evening the match score at 2-2 following a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win at the No. 3 singles spot 

The excitement continued with the Camels taking the lead, 3-2 with a win on court six in three sets (4-6, 6-2, 6-1). With the match coming down to the wire, Connecticut College secured the clinching point with a win at No. 1 singles, putting the Camels up 4-2. The Bison would snag one final win on the day, with graduate Caio Dieckmann winning in three sets (4-6, 6-3, 10-7).

Men's Tennis will participate in the Central Massachusetts Tournament, which will be played November 1-3. The Bison will open the tournament hosting Holy Cross and Bryant for doubles competition, before traveling to Holy Cross for the final two days of the tournament.