STOWE, Vt. - The Norwich University men's tennis team wrapped up Empire 8 regular season play in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, notching a decisive 8-1 victory over Vermont State University Lyndon at Topnotch Tennis Academy.
The win clinches the Cadets' first-ever Empire 8 Tournament berth in their debut season as associate members of the North Atlantic Conference and affiliate members of the Empire 8. Norwich locks in as the #2 seed in the East Division, earning the right to host #3-seeded SUNY Delhi in a first-round clash on Saturday, Apr. 26, inside Shapiro Fieldhouse.
Norwich set the tone early with a clean sweep through doubles play, building a quick 3-0 advantage. At the top spot,
Terrance Bayly-Henshaw (Scottsville, N.Y.) and
Jaxson Redmond (Kennebunkport, Maine) cruised to an 8-1 win over Jeffrey Blais and Wesley McIntyre. The tandem of
Keagan Bakke (Gun Barrel City, Texas) and
Gabe Wettig (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) followed with an 8-3 decision over David Gratton and Gilbert Flores, while
Stephen Hartigan (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and
Hayden Frazer (Deerfield, Wis.) held off a late push to notch an 8-6 win over James Salvas and Stephen Wutzl at No. 3 doubles.
The momentum carried into singles, where Norwich claimed five of six matches. Redmond continued his strong season with a 6-0, 6-3 win at No. 3 singles over McIntyre, while Bakke picked up a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Blais at the top line. Bayly-Henshaw followed with a 7-5, 6-0 triumph at No. 2 over Gratton.
Hartigan was dominant in his 8-0 sweep of Flores at No. 5 singles, and
Brandon Adamson (Londonderry, N.H.) added the final point for Norwich with an 8-4 win over Salvas in the sixth spot. The Hornets salvaged their lone point at No. 4 singles, where Wutzl outlasted Wettig in a tiebreaker, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5).
The victory marks the 28th straight over the Hornets for the Norwich men's tennis program, dating back to a 9-0 sweep within the confines of Shapiro Fieldhouse on Apr. 16, 2009. It is also the second for Norwich over VTSU Lyndon this season, after the Cadets topped the Hornets, 9-0, in the season opener within Shapiro Fieldhouse.
MATCH RESULTS:
SINGLES:
- No. 1 - Keagan Bakke (Norwich) def. Jeffrey Blais (VTSU Lyndon), 6-4, 6-1
- No. 2 - Terrance Bayly-Henshaw (Norwich) def. David Gratton (VTSU Lyndon), 7-5, 6-0
- No. 3 - Jaxson Redmond (Norwich) def. Wesley McIntyre (VTSU Lyndon), 6-0, 6-3
- No. 4 - Stephen Wutzl (VTSU Lyndon) def. Gabe Wettig (Norwich), 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5)
- No. 5 - Stephen Hartigan (Norwich) def. Gilbert Flores (VTSU Lyndon), 8-0
- No. 6 - Brandon Adamson (Norwich) def. James Salvas (VTSU Lyndon), 8-4
DOUBLES:
- No. 1 - Bayly-Henshaw/Redmond (Norwich) def. Blais/McIntyre (VTSU Lyndon), 8-1
- No. 2 - Bakke/Wettig (Norwich) def. Gratton/Flores (VTSU Lyndon), 8-3
- No. 3 - Hartigan/Frazer (Norwich) def. Salvas/Wutzl (VTSU Lyndon), 8-6
With conference play now in the books, the Cadets will shift gears briefly for their final non-league match-up of the regular season, traveling to Vermont State University Castleton on Wednesday, Apr. 23, for a 3:00 p.m. showdown.
Norwich will then set its sights on postseason play, hosting SUNY Delhi, who they defeated 8-1 earlier this year on Mar. 29 inside Shapiro Fieldhouse, in a playoff match-up that marks the program's first home conference tournament appearance since the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship.