NORTON, Mass. – Eleven different players recorded victories for the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's tennis team in a 6-1 win over visiting Western New England University this afternoon at Beard Field House on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass. The match was played indoors due to inclement weather.
The Lyons improve to 1-0 on the season, while the Golden Bears dip to 0-2.
Wheaton swept through doubles play to gain the doubles point in the dual match with six players having a hand in the three doubles wins. The Lyons added five singles victories from five additional players on their roster. Western New England picked up its lone point with a triumph at number five singles.
Senior Jaime Gálligo (Madrid, Spain) and sophomore Landon Wyshner (Winston-Salem, N.C.) had little trouble at number one singles for Wheaton in a 6-1 effort over WNEU graduate student Colby Esposito (Enfield, Conn.) and senior Kyle Poccia (East Greenwich, R.I.) to give the Blue and White the doubles point. Senior Jake Murray (San Diego, Calif.) and first year Luis Adrian Gomez Tinoco (Mexico City, Mexico) set the tone for the Lyons with a 6-2 victory at number two doubles over the Golden Bear junior tandem of Eston Fowler (Cranston, R.I.) and Hamden, Conn.). The Wheaton first year duo of Matias Umaña (Medellin, Colombia) and Vaughn Weaver (Honolulu, Hawaii) completed the sweep in doubles play with a 6-3 showing over Western New England seniors Michel Abizaid Nunez (Alvaro Obregon, Mexico City) and Quinn Northrop (Hamden, Conn.).
Junior Pablo Munoz (Paris, France) was outstanding at number one singles for the Lyons, dropping just four games in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Esposito. The match was the catalyst for the rest of singles play with each match being decided in the minimum two sets. Senior Calvin Van Dyke (Albuquerque, N.M.) cruised past Abizaid Nunez, 6-2, 6-2, at number four singles for Wheaton, before classmate Paul Berteaux (Paris, France) clinched the dual match for the home Lyons at the number three spot, 6-3, 6-4, over Fowler to give them a 4-1 lead.
Wheaton first year Pablo Paniagua (Mexico City, Mexico) ground out a 7-6 (4) first set win over Northrop at second singles, before settling in for a 6-1 second set triumph to take the match. Sophomore Sean Caldwell (Winchester, Mass.) picked up a 6-4, 6-3 win at sixth singles for the Lyons over sophomore Connor Lord (Hooksett, N.H.).
Poccia put the Golden Bears on the board with a 6-4, 6-4 victory at fifth singles over Umaña to pull the visitors to within 2-1, before Wheaton took the remaining four singles matches.
The Lyons return to the courts on Friday, September 25 for the first day of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championship hosted at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt. Western New England is in action again on October 8 when it travels to Providence, R.I. to play Rhode Island College at 3:00 p.m.
