Tennis opens spring with 6-1 loss at BC
CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. – The Bryant University men's tennis team opened up the spring season on Friday (Jan. 20) afternoon, traveling to ACC foe Boston College and fighting valiantly before eventually falling, 6-1, in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
After compiling a challenging fall slate that featured grueling three-day long tournaments all throughout the months of September and October, head coach Ron Gendron presented his squad with another formidable task on Friday afternoon against a tough Eagles (1-0) squad. While the final score may not be indicative of just how close the end result was, the Bulldogs (1-1) made the home team fight for every game of every match, and a number of players nearly pulled of remarkable upsets.
The Black and Gold's lone victory on the day came in the form of freshman Zachary Morris (Garden City, N.Y.), who secured a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over BC's Michael McGinnis. Sophomore Dana Parziale (Pinehurst, N.C.) managed to go up by a set in his singles bout against Billy Grokenberger, but the Northeast Conference Player of the Month in October eventually fell, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
Playing in the No. 5 spot, freshman Juan Gonzalez-Paz (San Juan, Puerto Rico) nearly went up by a set against Matt Wagner, but the rookie fell in a first-set tiebreaker, 7-6, before dropping the second set by a 6-1 margin.
With five-of-six of the singles points secured, the Eagles went on to sweep doubles play. Gonzalez-Paz and fellow freshman Ernesto Arguello (Managua, Nicaragua) were the closest to taking a doubles win in the No. 2 spot, but Wagner and McGinnis eventually prevailed, 9-7, in one of the more heated matches of the day.
Bryant resumes match play next weekend at Ralley Point Racquet Club in nearby Greenville, R.I., as the Bulldogs host Colgate University on Saturday (Jan. 28) for a 6:30 p.m. tilt. The following afternoon Bryant travels to Brown University for a neutral-site match against the University at Buffalo with an early start time set for 8:30 a.m.
Singles Results
- Alex Skinner def. Peter Hart Callan (6-3; 6-0)
- Zachary Morris def. Mike McGinnis (6-4; 3-6; 6-2)
- Jonathan Raude def. Ernesto Arguello (6-2; 6-3)
- Billy Grokenberger def. Dana Parziale (5-7; 6-3; 6-2)
- Matt Wagner def. Juan Gonzalez-Paz (7-6; 6-1)
- Klaus Puestow def. Vidith Huot (6-4; 6-3)
Doubles Results
- Akash Muppidi/Grokenberger def. Callahan/Morris (8-4)
- Alex Skinner/Philip Nelson def. Arguello/Gonzalez-Paz (9-7)
- McGinnis/Wagner def. Connor Crowley/Richard Sipala (8-3)
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