SALEM, Mass. – The Endicott men's tennis team shut out Salem State University, 9-0, on Thursday evening in non-conference action at the Central Campus Tennis Courts.
Nicholas Eherts (New Milford, Conn.) and Sean McAndrews (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) opened up the match with an 8-1 victory at No. 2 doubles, before the Gulls' No. 1 and No. 3 pairings earned hard-fought victories in their respective slots to lock up a 3-0 advantage headed into singles play.
Eric Pierce (Barrington, R.I.) and Keaton McCleary (Newtown, Conn.) claimed an 8-4 win at No. 1 and Matthew Doherty (Plymouth, Mass.) and Anthony Rinaldi (Attleboro Falls, Mass.) turned in a close 8-6 triumph at No. 3 to round out the doubles highlights.
In singles action, Pierce cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory at the No. 3 slot to push Endicott's lead to 4-0, while Christopher Kirkpatrick (Newburyport, Mass.) locked up the match at the No. 1 position with a swift 6-0, 6-3 win.
Sam Salvas (Stowe, Vt.) followed with a 6-0, 6-0 decision at No. 5, and McCleary notched a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 4 to grab a 7-0 advantage. Michael Dolph (Stratford, Conn.) and Ozan Cermik (Cumberland, R.I.) concluded the non-conference match for the Gulls with wins at the No. 2 (6-2, 6-0) and No. 6 (6-4, 6-2) positions, respectively.
TOP QUOTE
"It's always good to get a win over a local rival," said Endicott men's tennis head coach Jeremy Howard. "We feel like we are in a good place to open up conference play next week against Wentworth this coming Tuesday."
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Cermik picked up his first singles victory of the season today.
- Dolph improved to 9-2 overall in singles play.
- The No. 3 doubles pairing of Doherty/Rinaldi earned their first win of the season.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (5-5) takes on Wentworth on Tuesday, March 29 at 7 p.m. on the campus of Regis College. Salem State (0-1) visits Gordon College next Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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