Bucknell University
Saint Francis (Pa.)
Men's Tennis Edged by Saint Francis, 4-3
2/20/2015 7:48:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MONROEVILLE, Pa. – After a two-week break with no competition, the Bucknell men's tennis team returned to action Friday with an exciting down-to-the-wire match with Saint Francis. Unfortunately for the Bison, they came up just short with a 4-3 loss in the neutral-site contest.
"Having a two-week layoff from matches definitely hurt our momentum," said Bucknell head coach Craig Schwartz. "We came out flat at two and three doubles, along with two, three, five and six singles. Saint Francis did a good job of jumping on top of us from the start. We look forward to rebounding tomorrow against a tough Duquesne team."
With Bucknell trailing 3-2, freshman Maxwell Kane kept the Bison's hopes alive with his thrilling three-set win at No. 6 singles. Kane dropped the first set 6-2, stayed in contention with a 7-5 edge in the second set, and tied the team score with a 6-2 verdict in the final set.
That put the outcome of the match on the result at No. 5 singles, which also went three sets. Rodrigo Tico clinched the win for the Red Flash with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory over freshman Ben Gerber. It was the first loss of the spring for Gerber, who dropped to 3-1.
Senior Nick Bybel was a 6-1, 6-4 winner over Washi Gervais at No. 1 singles for the Bison, improving to 4-1 during the spring with his 68th career win. Freshman Daniel Wright notched a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Eli Cerdan in the fourth spot.
Bybel was also victorious in doubles play, teaming with sophomore Bryan Adams for an 8-1 win at No. 1. The doubles matches were just as even-matched as the singles, with Saint Francis taking winning by identical 8-6 scores at No. 2 and No. 3.
Bucknell, which dropped to 3-2 overall, will play at Duquesne on Saturday at 5 p.m. Saint Francis improved to 3-4.
SAINT FRANCIS 4, BUCKNELL 3
Singles
1. Nick Bybel (BU) def. Washi Gervais (SFU), 6-1, 6-4
2. Chris Jimenez (SFU) def. Bryan Adams (BU), 6-4, 6-3
3. Plamen Avuski (SFU) def. Octavio Canibe (BU), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Daniel Wright (BU) def. Eli Cerdan (SFU), 6-2, 6-2
5. Rodrigo Tico (SFU) def. Ben Gerber (BU), 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
6. Maxwell Kane (BU) def. Sergio Carvajal (SFU), 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
Order of Finish – 2, 1, 3, 4, 6, 5
Doubles
1. Bybel/Adams (BU) def. Carvajal/Jimenez (SFU), 8-1
2. Tico/Gervais (SFU) def. Canibe/Wright (BU), 8-6
3. Avuski/Lawson Barter (SFU) def. Gerber/Kane (BU), 8-6
Order of Finish – 1, 2, 3
Players Mentioned
