NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's tennis team opened North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play in dominant fashion, securing an 8-1 victory over SUNY Delhi in the first-ever meeting between the two programs at Shapiro Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Cadets continue one of their strongest starts in program history, collecting their fourth victory in five matches. The match-up also marked Norwich's first conference win as an associate member of the NAC and an affiliate member of the Empire 8 Conference.
Norwich set the tone early, taking two of three doubles matches for an early 2-1 lead. The top duo of
Terrance Bayly-Henshaw (Scottsville, N.Y.) and
Jaxson Redmond (Kennebunkport, Maine) powered to an 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles, while
Keagan Bakke (Gun Barrel City, Texas) and
Gabe Wettig (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) battled in a tough No. 2 doubles match before claiming an 8-5 win.Â
Thomas Riddick (Clayton, N.C.) and
Ethan Teluk (Manlius, N.Y.) also fought hard at No. 3 doubles but fell, 8-4.
Once singles play began, the Cadets found another gear, sweeping all six matches to lock in the commanding win. Wettig kicked things off with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 4 singles, followed quickly by Redmond's near-perfect 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles and Riddick's 6-2, 6-1 triumph at No. 5 singles. Teluk added a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles before Bakke at No. 1 and Bayly-Henshaw at No. 2 sealed the sweep with strong victories in the top flights.
MATCH RESULTS:
SINGLES:
- No. 1 - Keagan Bakke (Norwich) def. Benjamin Andersen (SUNY Delhi), 6-4, 6-1
- No. 2 - Terrance Bayly-Henshaw (Norwich) def. Devin Guerrieri (SUNY Delhi), 6-2, 6-1
- No. 3 - Jaxson Redmond (Norwich) def. Nicholas Vanhouten (SUNY Delhi), 6-0, 6-1
- No. 4 - Gabe Wettig (Norwich) def. Joseph Maccarrone (SUNY Delhi), 6-2, 6-2
- No. 5 - Thomas Riddick (Norwich) def. Nolan Kleinsasser (SUNY Delhi), 6-2, 6-1
- No. 6 - Ethan Teluk (Norwich) def. Gavin Bonczkowski (SUNY Delhi), 6-3, 6-2
DOUBLES:
- No. 1 - Bayly-Henshaw/Redmond (Norwich) def. Andersen/Guerrieri (SUNY Delhi), 8-1
- No. 2 - Bakke/Wettig (Norwich) def. Vanhouten/Maccarrone (SUNY Delhi), 8-5
- No. 3 - Kleinsasser/Bonczkowski (SUNY Delhi) def. Riddick/Teluk (Norwich), 8-4
The win marks a statement start to conference play for Norwich, who will now turn its attention to a key road trip on Saturday, Apr. 5. The Cadets will face Lesley University in a NAC match at 10:00 a.m., followed by a non-conference match at 12:00 p.m., with both contests taking place at the MIT Courts in Cambridge, Mass.
