Lauren Boone
Senior Writer
The Orange and Blue faced two tough competitors on the road last weekend, claiming a 5-2 victory over Patriot League rival Colgate on April 6 and suffering a 7-0 loss to Binghamton on April 7. The win against Colgate was the Bison’s first win in Patriot League play.
Despite close competition, the Bison swept in doubles play against Colgate. First to finish was the No. 3 doubles team Octavio Canibe ’15 and Kelly Morque ’13, winning 8-3. Next, Aidan Lynch ’14 and Evan Zimmer ’13 claimed victory at the No. 1 doubles position 8-6. Finally, No. 2 doubles team Nick Bybel ’16 and Josh Katten ’13 secured a doubles point for the Bison with a 9-7 victory.
The Orange and Blue kept the momentum going into the singles play, winning the majority of the matches to secure the overall win. Katten secured the first singles win at the No. 4 position 6-3, 6-3. Following Katten, teammates Morque and Zimmer posted singles victories as well. Morque won his match 6-3, 6-2, while Zimmer won 7-5, 6-3. Canibe won his match at the No. 6 position (6-3, 6-1) to secure the overall win for the Bison.
“Our doubles came out solid and stayed tough during key moments,” Zimmer said. “On the singles side, we were broken early in some matches, but were able to stay composed and battle through our opponents. Overall, it turned out to be a great win for the Bison.”
With this victory, the Bison improved their overall season record to 11-5 and their conference record to 1-1. This was also their sixth consecutive victory over Colgate.
Unfortunately, the Bison did not have the same success against Binghamton, ending their four-match winning streak. In doubles play, Bybel and Katten clinched the only victory for the Bison that day (8-6) at the No. 1 doubles position. With this victory, Katten is one match away from tying the Bison record for most combined singles and doubles career wins at 150 matches.
The No. 2 doubles team of Lynch and Ryan Marcil ’14, lost its match 8-6. Morque and Canibe also lost their match 8-1 at the No. 3 doubles position. Some of the singles matches were also close, with Morque, Katten and Lynch all pushing their singles matches to third sets.
“Unfortunately, on Sunday we went up against a tough competitor in Binghamton, but there was plenty positive to take from the loss,” Katten said. “Binghamton has won their conference five years in a row, and while we lost, we were right there in most of the matches. Going forward, it’s important to play some tough matches as they definitely help prepare the team for the Patriot League Tournament.”
With this loss, the Bison’s season record fell to 11-6. The Bison will compete at home for their next four matches, starting Friday when they play rival Army at 3 p.m. on the Varsity Tennis Courts, followed by matches against Lafayette on April 14 at 2 p.m. and Lehigh on April 15 at 3 p.m.