Lyons now 3-1 on the season

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College men's tennis team dropped its first match of the season on Thursday evening inside the Haas Athletic Center as the Lyons fell to Stonehill College, an NCAA Division II program, by a 5-0 score.

The Skyhawks took all three doubles matches to start the non-conference matchup, which was played to decision (first to five). Stonehill first-years Thomas Bellio (Saint Joseph, Mich./Saint Joseph) and Nikolay Lisichenok (Danvers, Mass./Danvers) defeated junior David Gassen (Dusseldorf, German/Saddlebrook Prep) and senior captain Lawrence Chan (Lincoln, R.I./Wheeler School), 8-5, at the No. 1 position.

Tom Alaimo (North Andover, Mass./Central Catholic) and Jonathan Sanders (Holbrook N.Y./St. Anthony's) then picked up an 8-2 victory at the No. 2 slot over juniors Will White (Nantucket, Mass./Cape Cod Academy) and Shreve Archer (Pebble Beach, Calif./Stevenson School), while Jared Drzal (West Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) and Tom Buckley (Hebron, Conn./RHAM) posted an 8-3 triumph against Jim Beaton (Groveland, Mass./Pentucket Regional) and Alden Zeff (Stratham, N.H./St. Stephen's Episcopal School) at No. 3.

Bellio went on to defeat Gassen in No. 1 singles action by a 6-3, 7-5 score and Drzal topped Chan at the No. 3 singles position by a score of 6-2, 6-3 to wrap up the victory. Archer was up 6-4, 0-2 in the No. 4 position against Lisichenok before the match was finished.

Wheaton (3-1) hosts Bridgewater State University on Tuesday, March 24 at home inside the Haas Athletic Center at 4 p.m. Stonehill (7-3) is scheduled to travel to Adelphi University next Tuesday for a conference matchup that is slated for 2 p.m.

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