LEWISTON, Maine - In a match-up of regionally-ranked foes, the Saint Michael's College men's tennis team lost to Bates College, 5-4, on Saturday at the Wallach Tennis Center. The Purple Knights were 10th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II East Region Poll, while the Bobcats stood 18th in the most recent ITA Division III Northeast Region rankings.

RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (0-2), Bates (1-0)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Jason Boucher (Bedford, N.H./Bedford), 1 win
• Junior Tristian Du Plessis (Rustenburg, South Africa/Hoërskool Waterkloof/Wallace State CC), 1 win
• Junior Jackson Moser (Missouri City, Texas/Ridge Point), 1 win
• First-year Mathis Billman (Brandon, Miss./South Carolina Connections Academy), 1 win
• First-year Simon Lundholm (Le Luc, France/CNED), 1 win
• First-year Julius van den Broek (Bergschenhoek, The Netherlands/Wolfert Lyceum), 1 win

MATCH FACTS

• The Purple Knights lost their second one-point decision in less than 24 hours, falling by a 4-3 count to Division I Merrimack College late on Friday night.
• Prior to this weekend, Saint Michael's had last played in Maine on Oct. 6, 1984, against the University of Maine in a match on Bates' campus.

THE ACTION

• After Bates took the opening doubles match against Du Plessis and senior Josh Weiss (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) at No. 3, the Purple Knights won the next two matches to take a 2-1 advantage into singles. Billman and van den Broek captured an 8-5 victory in the second spot before Boucher and Moser finished off an 8-7 (7-4) triumph at No. 1.
• Du Plessis opened singles play by downing the 23rd-ranked player in the Division III Northeast Region, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 4 to give Saint Michael's a 3-1 lead.
• Bates countered with the next three decisions to forge ahead. Van Den Broek lost 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5, Billman was downed 6-4, 6-1 in the third spot, and Moser played a pair of close sets in a 7-5, 7-5 defeat at No. 1.
• Lundholm leveled the match at 4-4 by holding off his opponent at six by a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 count to set up a deciding match for the second straight contest.
• In the No. 2 spot, Boucher won his opening set before losing a 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 decision, with Bates clinching the win.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S MATCH

• Next Saturday at regionally-ranked Saint Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.) College, 12 p.m.
• The Spartans were fourth in the latest ITA Division II East Region rankings.