Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Lehigh
Men's Tennis Concludes League Play with 5-2 Loss to Lehigh
4/16/2014 10:08:00 PM | Men's Tennis
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Bucknell men's tennis team concluded Patriot League dual play on Wednesday afternoon, going toe-to-toe with Lehigh for the duration of the match, but ultimately dropping a 5-2 decision on the Ulrich Courts. The Bison fell to 3-15 overall and 2-4 in conference match play with the loss, while the Mountain Hawks improved to 10-6 overall and 2-1 in the league with the victory.
Sophomore Nick Bybel and senior Aidan Lynch earned their third consecutive victory at No. 1 doubles, playing to an 8-7 win over Mark Goldberg and Mitchell Petersen in the tiebreak, but Lehigh gained momentum and the doubles point with wins in the other two matches. Ben Gilman and Jeremy Kochman eclipsed senior Scott Bernstein and freshman Bryan Adams, playing to an 8-3 win, while Timur Chernykh and Tyler Hansen surpassed senior Chris Tortora and junior Octavio Canibe by a score of 8-5.
Bybel, who has not lost a Patriot League singles or doubles match this season, extended his winning streak at No. 1 singles to eight consecutive matches with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Goldberg. The sophomore, who set a program record for single-season wins on Sunday, improved his overall record to 26-9 with the triumph and knotted the team score at 1-1.
Lehigh took wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles to gain a two-point edge before senior Kyle Rosen battled to a 7-6, 6-3 win over Kochman in the No. 4 match, bringing Bucknell within one. Junior Jonathan DeFrancesch and Tortora each put up strong fights, but the Mountain Hawks came out on top in the last two matches, taking the 5-2 win over the Bison.
“The doubles point gave Lehigh the momentum they needed,” commented interim head coach Craig Schwartz. “We really made them work in singles, but ultimately came up a bit short. We will have a great week of practice and switch our focus to the Patriot League Tournament.”
Bucknell concludes dual play at Bloomsburg on April 22 before heading to West Point for the Patriot League Tournament from April 24 to 27.
Doubles:
1. Nick Bybel/Aidan Lynch (B) def. Mark Goldberg/Mitchell Petersen (L), 8-7 (5)
2. Ben Gilman/Jeremy Kochman (L) def. Scott Bernstein/Bryan Adams (B), 8-3
3. Timur Chernykh/Tyler Hansen (L) vs. Chris Tortora/Octavio Canibe (B), 8-5
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles:
1. Nick Bybel (B) def. Mark Goldberg (L), 6-1, 6-1
2. Ben Gilman (L) def. Bryan Adams (B), 6-2, 6-4
3. Mitchell Petersen (L) def. Octavio Canibe (B), 6-0, 7-5
4. Kyle Rosen (B) def. Jeremy Kochman (L), 7-6 (7), 6-3
5. Tyler Hansen (L) def. Jonathan DeFrancesch (B), 7-6 (3), 6-4
6. Timur Chernykh (L) def. Chris Tortora, 7-6 (5), 6-0
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 6
