Bucknell University
Army (Semifinals)
Men's Tennis Closes Season with 4-2 Loss to Army in Patriot League Semifinals
4/18/2015 3:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell saw its season come to a close with a 4-2 loss to top-seeded Army in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Men's Tennis Tournament on Saturday at the Varsity Tennis Courts. The fifth-seeded Bison had advanced to the semifinals with a 4-0 win over Colgate on Saturday.
Nick Bybel and Bryan Adams got Bucknell off to a good start with an 8-4 win at No. 1 doubles, but Army came back with hard-fought 8-6 victories at both No. 2 and No. 3 to notch the first point of the match.
Army upped its lead to 3-0 with wins at No. 6 and No. 2 singles, but Bucknell wasn't finished. The Bison responded with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 to pull within one, 3-2.
Adams posted the first singles victory of the day for Bucknell, taking down Grant Riechman, 7-5, 6-4 at No. 3.
Bybel followed with his 21st consecutive win, beating Sam Lampman for the second time this season. It was a little tougher this time around, but the Bucknell junior prevailed in three sets, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. He finished the spring at 22-1 in singles, including a 7-0 record against Patriot League opponents.
Bybel's season was historic for Bucknell men's tennis. He set the Bison record for most singles wins in a year with his 38-3 mark during the fall and spring seasons combined. He also became the program's all-time leader in singles wins, improving to 86-21 with a full year left in his collegiate career.
As a team, Bucknell showed the potential for a bright future. The Bison lose just one senior from the spring roster on a team that improved to three wins a season ago to a 14-9 record this year.
Army advances to Sunday's championship match where they will play the winner between No. 2 Navy and No. 3 Boston University.
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Army 4, No. 5 Bucknell 2
Doubles
1. Nick Bybel/Bryan Adams (BU) def. Sam Lampman/Alex Van Velzer (A), 8-4
2. Grant Riechman/Harrison McCormick (A) def. Daniel Wright/Maxwell Kane (BU), 8-6
3. Kyle Barnes/Austin McCasin (A) def. Octavio Canibe/Ben Gerber (BU), 8-6
Order of Finish – 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. Nick Bybel (BU) def. Sam Lampman (A), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
2. Alex Van Velzer (A) def. Daniel Wright (BU), 6-2, 6-2
3. Bryan Adams (BU) def. Grant Riechman (A), 7-5, 6-4
4. Caison Best (A) def. Octavio Canibe (BU), 7-6 (3), 7-5
5. Kyle Barnes (A) led Maxwell Kane (BU), 7-6 (11), 5-1 - DNF
6. Michael Nguyen (A) def. Ben Gerber (A), 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish – 6, 2, 3, 1, 4
Players Mentioned
