NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University men's tennis team defeated Castleton University 7-2 on Wednesday afternoon in its 2022 season opener in non-conference action inside Shapiro Field House. 

Norwich (1-0) won two of three doubles matches and then took five of the six singles matches to cruise to the victory. 

Freshman Keagan Bakke (Gun Barrel City, Texas) shined in his collegiate debut, taking No. 1 singles 6-0, 6-0 and then teaming with fellow rookie Sebastian Mucha (Harwinton, Conn.) to take No. 1 doubles 8-6 over Dante Buttino and Phil Kluge. 

Bakke and Sebastian Mucha had to battle back from a 6-3 deficit at No. 1 doubles to win five-straight games and pick-up the 8-6 come-from-behind victory. 

Sebastian Mucha breezed to a No. 3 singles win over Rowan Kidder 6-0, 6-2. Junior Patrick Bulley (Adamstown, Md.) won 6-3, 7-5 in the most competitive singles match of the day at the No. 2 spot. Bulley also teamed with Dimitry Mucha (Harwinton, Conn.) to take No. 2 doubles by an 8-3 score over Jason Lipscomb and Kidder. 

Dimitry Mucha battled to take No. 4 singles 6-2, 6-4 over Buttino. 

Junior Matthias Tchantouridze (Barre, Vt.) won No. 5 singles 6-1, 6-1 over Miguel Almirall Perez. 

Castleton was led by senior Jahwara Rennalls who took No. 6 singles 6-2, 6-3 over Molly Twombly (Rockport, Mass.). Rennalls also combined with Perez to take No. 3 doubles over Patrick O'Neal (Indiana, Pa.) and Isaac Chapman (Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia) 8-6. 

The third doubles match ironically featured three men's hockey players with Rennalls playing for the Castleton men's team, while O'Neal and Chapman also played for the Norwich men's team this year. 

Norwich will travel to Eastern Nazarene on Saturday for its first GNAC contest of the season.