COLCHESTER, Vt. - The fourth-seeded Saint Michael's College men's tennis team's historic season came to an end with a 4-1 loss to No. 5 Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday during the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship at the SMC Tennis Courts.
Facing a Raven team that returned five regulars after qualifying for the 2021 NCAA Tournament, the Purple Knights hosted an NE10 Championship match for the first time since April 22, 2009, playing just the third home postseason contest in program history.
RECORDS
- Saint Michael's (7-10), Franklin Pierce (7-8)
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS
- Junior Josh Weiss (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon), 1 win
MATCH FACTS
- Weiss became the first Purple Knight to win a postseason singles match since April 22, 2008, when David Besserer '09, Sean Steigerwald '09 and Craig Lindabery '10 were all victorious against Bentley University.
- The Purple Knights finished with seven wins twice in the past three seasons, matching their highest win total since going 9-8 in 2007-08.
- Despite finishing three matches under .500, Saint Michael's split all of its singles and doubles matches this season, going 54-54 in the former and 27-27 during the latter. More than one third of the singles setbacks - 19 - came in three sets.
- Franklin Pierce qualified for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Five of the Ravens' singles regulars, including their top three, returned from last spring's NCAA team, as four who landed NE10 All-Conference laurels in either singles or doubles remain on the squad.
THE ACTION
- Franklin Pierce nabbed a 1-0 lead by taking the opening two doubles matches. Junior Jason Boucher (Bedford, N.H./Bedford) and first-year Sergio Barroso (Madrid, Spain/Colegio Montpellier) lost a 6-1 decision in the second spot before senior Michael Rosen (Andover, Mass./Andover/Saint Anselm) and Jackson Moser (Missouri City, Texas/Ridge Point) lost by a 6-1 count at No. 1.
- Weiss and junior Seb Tonini (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) trailed 4-2 in the third position when their match was halted.
- Facing a player who was an NE10 All-Conference third team pick at No. 1 singles last year, Moser narrowly lost his opening set before suffering a 6-4, 6-2 defeat.
- At No. 2, Weiss eased past an opponent who entered the day 11-5, had been an NE10 All-Conference first team selection last year, and had won their regular-season meeting on March 26 by a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 count. Weiss claimed a 6-4, 6-3 victory on Tuesday, bringing Saint Michael's within 2-1.
- Barroso dropped his opening set at No. 3 against the reigning NE10 Rookie of the Year before forcing a third set, but ultimately lost a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 contest.
- Boucher also lost the first set in the fourth spot before rallying to force his ninth three-set match of the season. However, his 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 loss allowed Franklin Pierce to clinch the win. Boucher ended the year with school records in singles (13) and overall (24) victories for a season.
- In a pair of unfinished contests, Rosen lost his opening set, 6-4, at No. 5 during his final collegiate appearance, while Tonini won his opening set, 6-1, before trailing by a 3-2 count in the second at No. 6.
