BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's tennis team fell to Nichols College, 6-3, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action on Sunday evening at the South Campus Tennis Courts.
Endicott led 3-0 at the conclusion of doubles as Nicholas Eherts (New Milford, Conn.) and Sean McAndrews (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) started the Gulls off with a 1-0 advantage after picking up an 8-4 win at No. 3. Chris Kirkpatrick (Newburyport, Mass.) and Michael Dolph (Stratford, Conn.) followed with an 8-3 triumph at No. 1, while Eric Pierce (Barrington, R.I.) and Keaton McCleary (Newtown, Conn.) completed the sweep with an identical score in the No. 2 slot.
Nichols responded in singles play with three straight wins at the No. 1, No. 5, and No. 4 positions, respectively, to make it a 3-3 match while the No. 2, 3, and 6 slots were all playing tightly contested matches at the time.
The Bison then went on to register a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 6, and proceeded to clinch the match moments later with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph at No. 3.
Dolph nearly earned his 11th win of the season in singles action in the No. 2 slot to wrap up the match, but fell to his opponent 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (15-13).
TOP QUOTE
"It was definitely a tough loss today against Nichols at home. We will learn from it and we are looking forward to getting back out there against Salve Regina and Curry this week," said Endicott men's tennis head coach Jeremy Howard. "Hats off to Nichols for the comeback."
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Dolph and Kirkpatrick are now 6-4 in doubles play as a pairing this season.
- Eherts and McAndrews have won their last four doubles matches as a duo.
- Pierce and McCleary are also on a three match winning streak in doubles play.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (6-6, 1-1 CCC) travels to Salve Regina University for a conference matchup on Tuesday, April 12 at 3:30 p.m. Nichols (10-4, 1-1 CCC) hosts Curry this coming Tuesday at 4 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
