COLCHESTER, Vt. (February 19, 2020) – The Franklin Pierce University men's tennis team -- which is ranked eighth in the East Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association -- got in the win column to start the Northeast-10 Conference portion of its campaign on the road on Wednesday afternoon. The Ravens were victorious in eight of the day's nine matches on the way to a 6-1 win over Saint Michael's.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-5 (1-0 NE10), while Saint Michael's falls to 6-2 (0-1 NE10).

Franklin Pierce was victorious in all three doubles matches on the way to the doubles point on Wednesday. The sternest test came at first doubles, where senior Yuval Barak (Zicron Ya'akov, Israel) and sophomore Preston Gordon (Essex Junction, Vt.) were taken to the limit by freshmen Connor Scott and Jason Boucher. The Franklin Pierce duo ultimately prevailed in a tiebreak, 7-6 (2). Meanwhile, at second doubles, junior Nkrumah Patrick (Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago) and freshman Alejandro Ortiz (Madrid, Spain) posted a 6-3 win over freshman Josh Weiss and senior Matt Mosher, while freshmen Joel Cladera (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) and Joshua Arnold (Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago) rolled to a 6-2 victory at third doubles against sophomores Constantin Krogh and Michael Rosen.

In singles play, the top two matches were both tightly-contested, three-set affairs. At first singles, it was a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win for Scott over Barak. Franklin Pierce answered at second singles, as Gordon chalked up a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Weiss.

Franklin Pierce picked up straight-set victories the rest of the way down the ledger. At fourth singles, Patrick dispatched Boucher, 6-3, 6-4. At fourth singles, Cladera rolled over Rosen, 6-2, 6-1. At fifth singles, it was a 6-3, 6-2 win for Arnold over Krogh. At sixth singles, Ortiz went past freshman Seb Tonini, 7-5, 6-1.

The Ravens are now off for over two weeks, before returning to the court with a pair of non-conference matches on Saturday, March 7. The Ravens will take on host Nichols, as well as Springfield, in a tri-match at the Pomfret School in Pomfret, Conn.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce tennis apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://www.shopfpuravens.com).