CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (3/11/23) — The Franklin Pierce University men's tennis team avoided the sweep, but took a loss at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 6-1 on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action.

The loss comes as the third in a row men's tennis, and drops them to 0-3 on the spring and 3-4 overall this season. MIT improves to 5-3 overall with the victory.

The Ravens took the early lead by securing the doubles point with a 6-4 and 6-2 victory at the first and third positions. From No. 1 doubles, seniors Joshua Arnold (Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago) and Preston Gordon (Essex Junction, Vt.) claimed the victory over MIT's Derek Shen / Kailas Kahler. Meanwhile, the No. 2 win was secured by senior Nkrumah Patrick (Tunapuna, Trinidad & Tobago) and freshman newcomer Orlando Guerrero (Pachuco, Mexico), besting opponents Joseph Li / Benjamin Ebanks. The won point came as the first of the spring season for the Ravens.

However, Pierce would go on to lose at the rest of the way in singles competition, but not without a fight. Preston Gordon would battle MIT's Richter Jordaan to consecutive tiebreaks in two sets, narrowly losing both by 7-5 scores. Nkrumah Patrick would also make some noise over at the No. 3 position, forcing a deciding third set following a rebound victory in the second, 6-3, but ultimately falling short in the final by a 6-4 score. Senior Paul McClellan (Nairobi, Kenya) would also find similar success with a bounce back win in the second set at No. 5 singles, but would run out of gas in a lengthy decisive third set against MIT's Joseph Li, falling 10-8.

It's a quick turnaround for men's tennis as they return to action tomorrow, Sunday, March 12th at 2:00 p.m. to play the College of the Holy Cross in a non-conference matchup at the Monadnock Indoor Tennis Club.