Bucknell University Athletics
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Bucknell Quad
Two Bison Men's Doubles Teams Advance to Semifinals after First Day of Bucknell Quad
9/7/2012 8:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell men's tennis claimed eight wins in the main draw and two doubles squads advanced to the semifinals as the Bison opened play at the Bucknell Quad on Friday. Both the doubles duos of Nick Bybel and Jonathan DeFrancesch and Kelly Morque and his teammate Aidan Lynch will face off against teams from Niagara for a chance in the doubles championship and the first title of the 2012-13 season.
Playing together for the first time, Bybel and DeFrancesch kicked things off with an 8-5 win over Niagara. They later had a similar time against Saint Francis (Pa.), defeating Washi Gervais and Chris Jimenez 8-4. They will take on the Purple Eagles' Brandon Gallegos and Lorenz Schwojer in the top half of the draw.
Potentially in line to meet Bybel and DeFrancesch in the finals are fellow Bison Morque and Lynch who opened their 2012 season with an 8-4 victory over Lawson Barter and Juan Pardo from Saint Francis. Things went a bit more smoothly in the quarterfinals against Loyola (Md.). The Bison defeated Keishi Goto and Ryan McFarland 8-2. Morque and Lynch will next take on Niagara's Michael Elartequi and David Raymond, who knocked Octavio Canibe and Kyle Rosen out of the main draw in the quarterfinals, 9-8.
In singles action, Morque, Bybel and Canibe all won their opening round in Flight A. Freshman Bybel made quite a debut, breezing past Loyola's Connor Pietrak with a pair of 6-0 set wins. He now looks toward a quarterfinal matchup with Olivier Dufour of Niagara, who won his own first-round match 6-1, 6-0.
Morque had a slightly more difficult time, needing a super tiebreak to knock out Loyola's Greg Olesnycky. The Bison junior won the first set 7-5, but Olesnycky took the second by a score of 6-3. It was Morque in the end, 10-8, that earned a chance to face Sergio Carvajal of Saint Francis in the next round.
Canibe defeated a Loyola opponent in his first-round match as well. The sophomore took the 6-3, 6-1 decision over Jordan Kuchta and will next face Elartequi. With Evan Zimmer receiving a first-round bye, all four Bison are still alive in Flight A.
Play resumes tomorrow morning at the Bucknell Quad and will continue through the finals on Sunday.
BUCKNELL RESULTS
Doubles – Round 1
Groot/Carvajal (SFU) def. Katten/Zimmer (BU), 9-8
Bybel/DeFrancesch (BU) def. Niagara, 8-5
Canibe/Rosen (BU) def. Pietrak/Olesnychy (LU), 8-3
Morque/Lynch (BU) def. Barter/Pardo (SFU), 8-4
Doubles – Quarterfinals
Bybel/DeFrancesch (BU) def. Gervais/Jimenez (SFU), 8-4
Elartequi/Raymond (NU) def. Canibe/Rosen (BU), 9-8
Morque/Lynch (BU) def. Goto/McFarland (LU), 8-2
Doubles – Consolation
Zimmer/Katten (BU) def. DeSanto/Dowd (LU), 8-2
Flight A Singles – Round 1
Evan Zimmer (BU) – bye
Kelly Morque (BU) def. Greg Olesnycky (LU), 7-5, 3-6 (10-8)
Nick Bybel (BU) def. Connor Pietrak (LU), 6-0, 6-0
Octavio Canibe (BU) def. Jordan Kuchta (LU), 6-3, 6-1
Flight B Singles – Round 1
Kyle Rosen (BU) – bye
Jonathan DeFrancesch (BU) – bye
Kevin Pjiper (SFU) def. Aidan Lynch (BU), 6-2, 7-5
