Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Men's Tennis Squares off with Hofstra, Princeton in Weekend Bouts
2/21/2013 7:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 21, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell men's tennis will try to extend its current winning streak with a pair of matches on the road this weekend. The Bison will open with a 1 p.m. contest with Hofstra, a team it took six of seven matches off of last year, in Quakertown, Pa. Play continues Sunday at 10 a.m. against nationally ranked Princeton at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J.
Bucknell is riding a two-match win streak after coming back to defeat Niagara last Saturday and knocking out St. Bonaventure the following day. Kyle Rosen had one of his finer weekends, winning the deciding match in both outings.
Rosen is now 4-0 in singles this spring, sharing the team high in duals with Nick Bybel. Rosen and Bybel, along with doubles tandem Octavio Canibe and Aidan Lynch, were the only Bison to win a match against both the Purple Eagles and the Bonnies last weekend. Bybel was a straight-sets winner at No. 1 singles in each contest, improving his dual record to 4-1.
Bybel also shares the team lead for total singles victories, including performances from the fall. The freshman, Josh Katten and Evan Zimmer all have 11 wins. Zimmer was a 6-2, 6-2 winner at third singles over St. Bonaventure on Sunday, snapping his three-match losing streak, his longest since late April of last year.
Zimmer has also been enjoying his continued doubles success. The senior is 3-2 this spring while playing with Kelly Morque. One more doubles victory will make him the fourth Bison to 70 career wins. Also of distinction is his .670 winning percentage, the highest of any of the top 15 players on the program's doubles wins list. The only players in the top 20 with a higher winning percentage are Hall of Famer Ed Hess (.683; 41-19) and Jim Greenho (.731; 38-14), who are 19th and 20th, respectively, in all-time victories.
While Zimmer and Morque are no strangers to the doubles courts, Canibe and Lynch have had more limited playing time together. The duo paired up at the end of the fall campaign and went 0-2 at the St. Joseph's Invitational. They reunited three matches ago, and after the match against Duquesne was called before a winner could be determined, have won each of their last two.
Bucknell's success from up and down the lineup will be called on for both of this weekend's matches. The Bison will face Hofstra (1-1) first. The Pride's first dual win came against Siena in September. Three of its four wins in that match were decided in three sets or a super tie break. After falling 6-1 to James Madison earlier this month, Hofstra is still looking for its first win in a doubles match.
Bucknell is 9-2 all-time against Hofstra, a series record that got a boost after a 6-1 win over the Pride last spring. Gregg Cohenca registered his 100th career victory after teaming with Zimmer for the doubles win. The Bison swept doubles play, while each of their five singles wins came in straight sets. Katten was the clincher, winning 6-2, 6-2 over Pedro Gimenez at No. 4 singles.
Sunday's contest against Princeton (3-3) will likely be a greater test for Bucknell. The Tigers are ranked 65th nationally with a win earlier this year over then-No. 40 Michigan State. They are led by Matija Petcotic, who with a 30-4 singles record this year alone, is ranked third in the country. Petcotic and Zack McCourt are also 29th in the doubles rankings. Petcotic was named the All-Ivy Player of the Year last season.
Bucknell and Princeton have never faced off in a head-to-head match, but the Bison are not completely unfamiliar with the Tigers. Katten and Morque teamed up for an 8-4 win over Mohamed El Tonbari and Michael Lin in the first round of the Princeton Invitational in the fall.
When Bucknell returns to the court after this weekend, it will be in sunny Puerto Rico. The Bison will take on Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (March 11), Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (March 12) and Florida A&M (March 14) in Humacao, Puerto Rico, as part of their Spring Break Trip.
