RIDNGE, N.H. (April 14, 2018) – For the first time since 2005, the Franklin Pierce University men's tennis team will return to the postseason in 2018. Thanks to a 7-2 win over Assumption on the road to wrap up the Northeast-10 Conference schedule, the Ravens will do so next week with a home match in the quarterfinal round of the NE10 Championship.

With the win to wrap up NE10 regular-season play, Franklin Pierce improves to 10-10 (5-4 NE10), while Assumption wraps up its season at 4-11 (2-7 NE10). The Ravens, who earned the fourth seed in the NE10 Championship, will host fifth-seeded Bentley in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Franklin Pierce opened the day with wins in two of the three doubles matches. At second doubles, it was an 8-5 win for sophomore Yuval Barak (Zicron Ya'akov, Israel) and junior Marcus Lawrence (Acton, Mass.), over Assumption juniors Danny Waung and Reb Mariano. Meanwhile, at third doubles, junior James Bisazza (West Barnstable, Mass.) and sophomore Matthew Toombs (Pleasanton, Calif.) rolled to an 8-2 win over freshman Luke Whitehouse and sophomore Jameson Keppeler. The doubles win for Assumption came via a narrow, 8-6 victory at first doubles for senior Ryan Foster and freshman Max Francis, who slipped past freshman Roberto Chong (Puigpunyent, Spain) and junior Andrew Schadt (Tolland, Conn.).

The Ravens then added wins in each of the top three singles matches to wrap up the team match. The most competitive of the three came at first singles, where Chong had to rally for a 1-6, 7-6, 11-9 win over Foster. Meanwhile, both second and third singles went in straight sets. At second singles, Bisazza took care of Francis, 6-4, 6-3. At third singles, Barak doubled up Waung, 6-3, 6-3.

Franklin Pierce also added wins at fifth and sixth singles to create the 7-2 final. At fifth singles, Lawrence bettered Keppeler, 7-5, 6-3. At sixth singles, Toombs swept away Whitehouse, 6-0, 6-0.

The Ravens return to the court to wrap up the regular season with a non-conference match on Sunday, April 15, as they play host to Post at 1 p.m. in Rindge.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). 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 (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).