Men’s Tennis Knocks Off CCC Leader Nichols, 5-4
QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's tennis team defeated Nichols 5-4 Monday afternoon at the ENC Tennis Courts for the first time since 2007.
The Lions escalate to 14-3 on the year and 6-1 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with the win. The Bison dip to 16-3 overall and 7-1 in league action with the result.
The home team snagged a 2-1 edge with a pair of victories in doubles play.
Alex Partyka (Moscow, Russia) and Henry Siercke (Hamburg, Germany) downed Brandon Howard and Blake Norton 8-4 at the No. 1 doubles position.
Laurent Ruttkowski (Castrop-Rauxel, Germany) and Davis Steelman (Darlington, Md.) edged Kirill Ivanov and Igor Markowski 8-6 at the third spot.
Santiago Camero (Valencia, Venezuela) and Kyle Pierson (Redding, Calif.) suffered an 8-5 loss at the No. 2 slot to Guilherme Barbosa and James Smith.
Both squads notched three singles victories on the day as Eastern Nazarene dealt Nichols its first conference loss of the spring.
Partyka rolled past Norton 6-3, 6-2 at the No. 1 singles position to improve to 7-0 in league matches this season.
Siercke collected his sixth-consecutive win with a 6-1, 6-2 decision over Howard at the No. 2 slot
Pierson tallied the match-clinching point with a 7-5, 6-3 victory at the fifth spot over Jack Donaldson.
Ruttkowski fell in straight sets at the third position against Smith, 6-1, 6-1.
Camero absorbed a three-set loss in the No. 4 singles match to Barbosa. The Lions' rookie claimed the opening set 6-1 dropping the second and third frames 6-1, 6-3.
Steelman endured his first loss of the season, snapping an 18-match winning-streak, with a 6-3, 6-1 setback at the No. 6 position against Jake Zapatka.
Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene caps off conference play with a pivotal matchup at Gordon April 25. With a win, the Lions would secure the top seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament.