WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (4/11/2026) - The Nichols College men's tennis team traveled to the University of Hartford Saturday afternoon to take on the Hawks in conference play. The Bison finished the bout with success, producing a sixth straight conference win (6-1) and added insurance to their No. 2 standing in the Conference of New England (CNE).

The Bison improve with their win, rising to a 8-6-1 record overall, 7-1 in the CNE. Hartford falls to 2-12, sustaining a hit to their conference record and dropping 2-7.

The Bison immediately took control of the match in doubles play, sweeping all three courts to earn the opening point. At No. 1 doubles, Rodolfo Hernandez and William Albrikes set the tone with a dominant 6-1 victory. The momentum continued at No. 2, where Joshua Zenczak and Alexander Snitko secured a 6-4 win, before William Bergendahl and Mason Harris closed out the
sweep with a convincing 6-2 result in the third spot.

Holding a 1-0 advantage heading into singles, Nichols carried that energy into the remainder of the match by claiming five of six singles contests. Albrikes battled through a tightly contested opening set at No. 1 singles, grinding out a 7-6 win before pulling away in the second to secure the match in straight sets. Hernandez followed with a controlled performance at No. 2, winning 6-2, 6-2 to give Nichols further separation.

The middle of the lineup proved especially dominant for the Bison. Andrew Emmel turned in one of the most efficient performances of the afternoon at No. 4 singles, surrendering just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Mason Harris was equally impressive at No. 5, cruising to a 6-2, 6-0 win to add another point to the Nichols total.

At No. 6 singles, Bergendahl delivered a strong effort, taking the opening set 6-0 and dropping the second 4-6, capping the win with a 10-4 tiebreaker set. Hartford managed its lone point at No. 3 singles.

Men's tennis will next play University of Saint Joseph in CNE play on Tuesday, April 14th. Match start is set for 3:00 PM at the Elizabeth Ferry Speer Tennis Complex.

Doubles
Rodolfo Hernandez / William Albrikes def. Jake Short / Max Poss, 6-1
Joshua Zenczak / Alexander Snitko def. Anthony Pomares / Yande Simunyola, 6-4
William Bergendahl / Mason Harris def. Thomas Andersen / Jared DeGruttola, 6-2

Singles
William Albrikes def. Max Poss, 7-6, 6-3
Rodolfo Hernandez def. Yande Simunyola, 6-2, 6-2
Jake Short def. Joshua Zenczak, 6-4, 6-4
Andrew Emmel def. Anthony Pomares, 6-0, 6-1