RUTLAND, Vt. – The Norwich University men's tennis team opened the 2017 season with a tough 5-4 loss to Castleton University on Wednesday night, at the Grand Slam Tennis Center in non-conference action.

The Spartans opened the day with a pair of doubles victories, before splitting the six singles matches, 3-3. Castleton is now 1-0 on the season, while Norwich opens up at 0-1. It marks the third straight win for Castleton vs. Norwich after the Spartans swept the season series last year.

Seth Marcil and Quentin Barthe got off to a quick start in doubles for Castleton, but Norwich's Ian Hyte (Marblehead, Mass.) and Dylan Ackerman (Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands) battled back to force a tie-breaker. Castleton won the tie-breaker by a mark of 7-4, taking the first doubles match 9-8. The Cadets were on the right side of a tie-breaker at the No. 2 doubles position, as Jay Carter (Glassboro, N.J.) and Tyler Eagan (Verona, N.J.) won 9-8 (7-2) over Castleton's Tyler Wilcox and Jared Wheeler. Ryan Mulder and Trevor Hanna seamlessly transitioned from hockey sea son to tennis season, as the duo cruised to an 8-2 win at the No. 3 doubles position over Hadley Ellis (Jamestown, Ky.) and Sam Beiter (Youngstown, N.Y.).

Mulder and Hanna carried that momentum into singles play, as each player won in straight sets. Mulder won 6-3, 6-1 in fifth-flight singles action over Beiter, while Hanna rolled to a 6-2, 6-1 win in the No. 6 spot over Ellis.

Barthe claimed Castleton's third singles victory at the No. 2 position, defeating Carter 6-2, 6-3 to help the Spartans to victory.

Hyte and Marcil battled in first-flight singles, as Hyte pulled out a grueling three-set victory, 6-3, 5-7, 10-6. Ackerman notched a 7-5, 6-3 win at the No. 3 spot over Wheeler, while Wilcox was defeated in three sets 3-6, 7-5, 10-6 by Eagan.

Eagan led the Cadets with a 2-0 day. 

Norwich returns to action on Saturday, March 4 when it hosts Western New England at Shapiro Field House at 1 p.m.