Men's Tennis: JWU tops Norwich 5-0 in GNAC North title match

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Norwich University men's tennis team saw its 2016 season come to a close with a 5-0 decision loss to Johnson & Wales in the GNAC North divisional title game on Saturday at Centre Court.

Norwich (6-6) came up short of trying to win its second straight GNAC North crown and advance to the overall GNAC Championship against the South champion Ramapo College, which would have been a rematch of the 2015 match.

Johnson & Wales (13-4) swept the doubles matches 3-0 to get off to a strong start that the Wildcats would never look back from. Norwich's top doubles team of junior Ian Hyte (Marblehead, Mass.) and sophomore Jeff Purdy (Grantham, N.H.) challenged JWU's top pair of Andre Barbero and Nicholas Auffret, but ultimately fell 8-5 in the closest match.

Freshman Sam Beiter (Youngstown, N.Y.) and sophomore Hadley Ellis (Jamestown, Ky.) lost 8-3 to Jorge Mancebo and Charles Schiele at No. 3 doubles.

In singles action, Taylor Farmer beat Purdy 6-3, 6-0 at No. 3 singles, while Jason Chavenson downed Ellis 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4 singles to clinch the match. The remaining four singles matches were unfinished due to the play to decision format. The Wildcats had won the first set in each of the remaining matches. Junior Jay Carter (Glassboro, N.J.) was tied 4-4 with Auffret in the second set.

Johnson & Wales will face three-time defending GNAC champion Ramapo College on Saturday, May 7 at 3 p.m. with a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Johnson & Wales 5, Norwich 0

Singles competition
1. Andre Barbero (JWU) vs. Ian Hyte (NOR) 6-4, unfinished
2. Nicholas Auffret (JWU) vs. Jay Carter (NOR) 6-2, 4-4, unfinished
3. Taylor Farmer (JWU) def. Jeff Purdy (NOR) 6-3, 6-0
4. Jason Chavenson (JWU) def. Hadley Ellis (NOR) 6-0, 6-0
5. Jorge Mancebo (JWU) vs. Tyler Eagan (NOR) 6-2, 1-0, unfinished
6. Ryan Schiele (JWU) vs. Sam Beiter (NOR) 6-1, 3-0, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Nicholas Auffret/Andre Barbero (JWU) def. Ian Hyte/Jeff Purdy (NOR) 8-5
2. Taylor Farmer/Jason Chavenson (JWU) def. Jay Carter/Tyler Eagan (NOR) 8-0
3. Jorge Mancebo/Ryan Schiele (JWU) def. Sam Beiter/Hadley Ellis (NOR) 8-3