NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Forced to regroup after an early setback in doubles play, the Norwich University men's tennis team delivered a resilient response on Friday afternoon, storming back in singles competition to secure a 4-3 non-conference victory over Salem State University inside Shapiro Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Cadets continue the strongest start in program history, improving to 10-1 overall while extending their winning streak to seven matches. Norwich also remains perfect at home, moving to 8-0 on the season.
Salem State seized early momentum by claiming the doubles point, taking two of the three flights. Quentin Wilkins and Mark Wood set the tone with a 6-1 victory over
Jaxson Redmond (Kennebunkport, Maine) and
Terrance Bayly-Henshaw (Scottsville, N.Y.) at No. 1, followed by Ian Ronan and Jesse Rubera, who topped
Ethan Teluk (Manlius, N.Y.) and
Reynard Gan (Chandler, Ariz.), 6-3, at No. 2.
Norwich avoided a sweep at No. 3 doubles, where
Juan Gonzalez Torres (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) and
Stephen Hartigan (Tyngsboro, Mass.) turned in a strong 6-2 performance against Michael Muttiah and Kaleb Jones.
The Vikings carried that momentum into singles play, as Ronan extended the lead to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Hartigan at No. 3. Gonzalez Torres quickly answered for the Cadets, earning a 6-2, 7-5 victory against Rubera at No. 4 to put Norwich on the board.
Wilkins restored Salem State's two-point cushion with a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Redmond at the top flight, putting the Cadets in a 3-1 deficit with three matches remaining.
From there, Norwich flipped the match entirely.
Gan sparked the rally with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory over Jones at No. 6, cutting the margin to one. Bayly-Henshaw followed with a composed three-set performance at No. 2, rebounding from a first-set setback to defeat Wood, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, evening the match at 3-3.
With the outcome resting on the final court, Teluk delivered under pressure, outlasting Muttiah in a hard-fought three-set battle, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, at No. 5 to clinch the comeback victory.
Norwich's ability to respond in singles proved decisive, as the Cadets captured four of six matches after dropping the doubles point to secure the 4-3 result.
MATCH RESULTS:
SINGLES:
- No. 1 - Quentin Wilkins (Salem State) def. Jaxson Redmond (Norwich), 6-4, 6-4
- No. 2 - Terrance Bayly-Henshaw (Norwich) def. Mark Wood (Salem State), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
- No. 3 - Ian Ronan (Salem State) def. Stephen Hartigan (Norwich), def 6-2, 6-4
- No. 4 - Juan Gonzalez Torres (Norwich) def. Jesse Rubera (Salem State), 6-2, 7-5
- No. 5 - Ethan Teluk (Norwich) def. Michael Muttiah (Salem State), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
- No. 6 - Reynard Gan (Norwich) def. Kaleb Jones (Salem State), 6-0, 6-1
DOUBLES:
- No. 1 - Wilkins/Wood (Salem State) def. Redmond/Bayly-Henshaw (Norwich), 6-1
- No. 2 - Ronan/Rubera (Salem State) def. Teluk/Gan (Norwich), 6-3
- No. 3 - Gonzalez Torres/Hartigan (Norwich) def. Muttiah/Jones (Salem State), 6-2
Norwich will return to action on Saturday, Apr. 11, traveling to Vermont State University Johnson for an Empire 8 Conference matchup at 3:00 p.m. The Cadets will then head to Vermont State University Castleton on Wednesday, Apr. 15, for a non-conference contest.