QUINCY, Mass. – The Endicott men's tennis team earned a pivotal league win over Eastern Nazarene, 5-4, on Thursday evening at the ENC Tennis Courts.
With the win, Endicott is 10-6 overall and fourth in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) standings with a 4-2 record. Meanwhile, the Lions are 12-3 overall and third in the league (4-1) behind Nichols (6-0) and Gordon (5-1).
Endicott erased an early 1-0 deficit in doubles play in today's match with back-to-back wins from Charles Book (Devon, Pa.) and Nicholas Eherts (New Milford, Conn.) at No. 3 (8-5), and Sean McAndrews (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) and Justin Toler (Concord, Mass.) at the No. 2 slot (9-7).
The Gulls then saw Eherts register a 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 5 singles, and Toler claim a 6-4, 7-5 triumph at No. 3 to jump out to a 4-1 advantage in the match. Eastern Nazarene responded with victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 flights, but Thomas Brent (Gorham, Maine) answered back with a gritty, come-from-behind win at No. 4 (0-6, 6-4, 6-4) to clinch the victory and extend Endicott's winning streak to three straight matches.
TOP QUOTE
"That was an incredible team win today over a very talented Eastern Nazarene team," said Endicott men's tennis head coach Jeremy Howard. "Thomas Brent really stepped up to clinch it [the match] but he wouldn't have had that opportunity without some outstanding tennis from the rest of the lineup."
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott snapped Eastern Nazarene's five-match winning streak, which included a 4-0 mark against conference opponents.
- The Gulls are 4-4 on the road this season after today's victory.
- In singles play, Brent is 7-2 overall, 4-0 in the CCC, and 3-0 at the No. 4 position.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (10-6, 4-2 CCC) hosts Gordon this Saturday, April 22 in another key league match at 1 PM. Eastern Nazarene (12-3, 4-1 CCC) welcomes Nichols to its campus tomorrow at 3:30 PM. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.