SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's tennis team was defeated by host Springfield College, 8-1, this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Appleton Tennis Courts in Springfield, Mass.
The Lyons slip to 5-8 overall and 1-3 in NEWMAC play, while the Pride improve to 3-6 and 2-0.
Springfield won all three doubles matches to take a 3-0 lead in the dual match, before taking five of six singles contests.
Junior Daniel Bor (Seattle, Wash.) captured the lone point for Wheaton with a win at number four singles. Bor dropped just three games with a 6-1, 6-2 effort over Pride junior Waseem Sablon (Stoughton, Mass.).
Lyon first year Jaime Galligo (Madrid, Spain) battled to three sets at first singles, but succumbed in the end to junior Tatsuya Kimoto (Yamaguchi, Japan). Galligo won the opening frame, 6-3, before Kimoto bounced back to tie the match with a 7-5 middle set win. The players were tied at 6-6, before Kimoto won a grueling tie-breaker, 11-9, to earn the point.
Wheaton first year Paul Berteaux (Courbevoie, France) came out fighting as well, winning the opening set at number two singles, 7-6, against sophomore Marc Villanueva Abad (Morelia, México). Villanueva Abad knotted the match with a 7-5 effort, before he was awarded the match following Berteaux's retirement prior to the third frame.
First year Calvin Van Dyke (Albuquerque, N.M.) took his Springfield opponent to a tie-breaker as well in singles play. Junior Ethan Gomulka (San Bernardino, Calif.) pulled out the initial set, 7-6, at fifth singles, before settling in for a 6-2 decision in the second set to give the home team the win.
Sophomore Phakin Thongbooncharoen (Bangkok, Thailand) registered a straight set 6-3, 6-4 win at number three singles over Lyon first year Jake Murray (San Diego, Calif.), while junior Zach Taub (New Windsor, N.Y.) gave the Pride a win at sixth singles with a 6-2, 6-4 result over Wheaton senior Eli Hanlon (Branford, Conn.).
Villanueva and Kimoto combined for an 8-5 victory at number one doubles for Springfield over Galligo and Murray and junior Micah Matsudaira (Cornwall, Conn.) teamed with Sablon at second doubles to ring up an 8-6 win over Hanlon and Berteaux to give the Pride another point. Springfield grabbed its third doubles match at number three with Thongbooncharoen pairing with Gomulka to record an 8-6 triumph over Bor and Van Dyke.
Wheaton returns to the courts tomorrow when it heads to Dorchester, Mass. to take on University of Massachusetts Boston on Tuesday, April 9 at 12:00 p.m., while the Pride host Salve Regina University in NEWMAC play on April 7 at 2:00 p.m.
