NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University tennis team kicked off Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Saturday afternoon with a 6-3 victory over Albertus Magnus College at Shapiro Fieldhouse.

The Cadets (2-1, 1-0 GNAC) closed out their three-match home stand to open the season with their second straight win after NU also beat Lyndon State on Wednesday.

Junior Christian Hoskey (Saint Charles, Ill.), as well as sophomores Ryan Grindle (Essex Junction, Vt.) and Patrick Ogden (Madison, Ala.) continued to lead the Cadets in 2013 with all three registering multiple victories in singles and doubles action.

Hoskey and Ogden stayed perfect on the year in both doubles and singles as the two teamed to take a thrilling 9-8 (7-4) win at first doubles over Pete Zacharias and Marcus Artaiz. Hoskey also took care of Zacharias at first singles, winning 6-0 and 6-3. Ogden beat Mathew Mezzei 6-2, 6-1 at third singles to improve to 3-0.

Grindle won second singles 7-6, 6-1 over Artaiz and teamed with junior Joe Dvorak (De Soto, Kansas) to take second singles 8-2 over Mezzei and Cerrone Bell.

Senior Kristine Brammer (Littleton, N.H.) and sophomore Gustavo Avila (Phoenix, Ariz.) made it a clean sweep for NU in the doubles action downing Elvis Santana and Ahmed Abdulabteef 8-4 to give the Cadets all the early momentum with a 3-0 lead heading into singles play.

Albertus Magnus (0-2, 0-1 GNAC) swept the No. 4-No. 6 singles matches with Bell edging Brammer in a three-set nail biter 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Santana beat Avila 6-2, 7-6 and Abdulabteef swept Marshall Core in straight sets 6-0, 6-0.

Norwich will hit the road for the first time this week when they travel to Castleton State on Wednesday to complete their annual home and home series with the Spartans. NU opened the season by edging Castleton 5-4 at home on March 6.

Norwich University Cadets 6, Albertus Magnus 3
Mar 23, 2013 at Northfield, Vt. (Shapiro Fieldhouse)