NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University tennis team played a unique doubleheader on Saturday at Shapiro Field House, taking on the Colby-Sawyer men and women in separate matches.
The Colby-Sawyer men handed Norwich its first loss of the season, dropping the Cadets 7-2 in the first part of the doubleheader. Norwich (3-1) responded by taking down the Charger women's squad 8-1 in the second half of the doubleheader in an exhibition contest.
Freshman Austin Rosas (San Benito, Texas) and senior Brandon Sichak (Miami, Fla.) picked up victories for Norwich at No. 5 and No. 6 singles against the CSC men. Rosas defeated Charlie Graffius 6-1, 6-3 at No. 5 singles, while Sichak downed Cohl Schusler 6-4, 6-3 at No. 6 singles.
Sichak teamed with sophomore Jack Lepage (Palmyra, Maine) to nearly take No. 3 doubles. The Cadets' third-pair duo held a 7-6 lead over Graffius and Schusler, but they lost the next game and then dropped the tiebreaker 7-2 to fall 8-7 in the closest doubles match.
Senior Alexi Gilmore (Haverhill, Mass.) played a thriller at No. 1 singles, winning the opening set 6-4, but then losing 7-5 and 10-2 in the tiebreaker to fall to Julius Lowman.
In the women's match, Norwich won all three doubles matches and then took five of the six singles matches to cruise to the exhibition victory over the Chargers.
Gilmore teamed with Timothy Santy (San Antonio, Texas) to win a tight match at No. 1 doubles over Yashu Yang and Emily Hill by a 9-8 (8-6 tiebreaker). Gilmore also beat Yang, the two-time GNAC Player of the Year 6-3, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. Santy won No. 2 singles by scores of 6-4, 6-2 over Lindsay Macdonald.
Senior Abbie Barker (Warren, Vt.) and Rosas picked up the win at No. 2 doubles 8-1 over Macdonald and Mary Thoms. Barker also won No. 4 singles 6-1, 6-1 over Thoms. Rosas also won No. 6 singles 6-4, 6-1 over Taylor Bentley.
William Flowers (Lantana, Texas) and Sichak scored an 8-2 victory at No. 3 doubles, while Sichak also won No. 5 singles over Margaret Fox 6-0, 6-1.
Norwich closes out the 2021 season on Thursday when it travels to NVU-Lyndon for another matchup with the Hornets.
