Western New England’s men tennis team gave a good fight but could not overcome visiting Endicott, losing 5-4 in a Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup. The Golden Bears now stand at 5-5 (2-3 CCC) while Endicott improves to 6-5 overall, 2-1 in CCC play.
The Gulls captured a 2-1 lead following doubles competition, as Chris Kirkpatrick and Michael Dolph edged Andres Otero and senior tri-captain PJ Nassar at No. 1, 8-6. Sean McAndrews and Michael Lauretano topped tri-captain Greg Tischofer and Chris Spear by an 8-6 score at No. 3.
Western New England’s junior pairing of Adam Zimmerman and Alex Sause doubled upJustin Warshavsky and Eric Pierce in the No. 2 spot.
Endicott started the singles competition strong, and clinched the match with Nicholas Eherts’ 6-3 6-4 victory over Tischofer at No. 6. Sause and Spear also fell in straight sets at Nos. 1 and 3.
Western New England finished on a high note, as seniors Pete LeFrancois and John Mindek triumphed in the final two matches to finish at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.
Mindek, a tri-captain, traded 6-2 scores with Warshavsky, before claiming the third set 11-9 in a super tiebreaker. LeFrancois dropped the first set to McAndrews 1-6 before storming back to win the next two sets 6-4 7-5.
Otero was also victorious for the Golden Bears at No. 2, beating Pierce in straight sets.
Western New England will have a quick turnaround and is on the road for another CCC battle against Salve Regina, Tuesday at 3:30.
The Pitch 