WORCESTER, Mass. – The Endicott men's tennis team opened up its 2016-17 season on Wednesday evening with a 5-4 victory over Clark University in non-conference action at the Corash Tennis Courts.
Endicott's lineup featured two double winners in junior Nicholas Eherts (New Milford, Conn.) and freshman Justin Toler (Concord, Mass.), while the Gulls also received solo victories from Jack DeRizzo (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), Charles Book (Devon Pa.), and Christopher Kirkpatrick (Newburyport, Mass.).
Kirkpatrick and Toler teamed up for an 8-4 triumph at No. 1 doubles before Eherts and DeRizzo closed out the doubles portion of the match with an 8-5 victory at the No. 3 position to give the Gulls a 2-1 advantage. Toler eventually followed up with a 6-3, 6-4 win in the No. 3 singles slot, prior to Brook (6-3, 6-3) and Eherts' (4-6, 6-3, 1-2, retired) victories at the No.5 and No. 6 flights, respectively, which aided Endicott in its season opening win over Clark.
TOP QUOTE
"On the whole, we showed tremendous grit and fight up and down the lineup today," said Endicott men's tennis head coach Jeremy Howard. "I'd also like to give some kudos to our three freshmen in the lineup today – Justin, Jack, and Charles – on securing their first collegiate victories."
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott earned its first win in program history against Clark today.
- Eherts is undefeated in his last 12 doubles matches dating back to March 16, 2016.
- During that stretch, Eherts has won matches with Sean McAndrews (Vineyard Haven, Mass.), Matthew Doherty (Plymouth, Mass.), and DeRizzo.
- Eric Pierce (Barrington, R.I.) had his seven match winning streak in singles snapped today at the No. 2 slot (6-4, 6-2).
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (1-0) travels to Stonehill College, an NCAA Division II school, on Tuesday, September 27 for a non-conference match at 4 p.m. Clark (1-1) hosts Regis College on Wednesday, September 28 at 4 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
