COLCHESTER, Vt. - In a match that began outdoors and ended more than five hours later inside, the regionally-ranked Saint Michael's College men's tennis team lost to Franklin Pierce University, 4-3, on Tuesday during Northeast-10 Conference play. The contest started on the SMC Tennis Courts and concluded in the Tarrant Recreation Center. The Purple Knights were ninth in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Region poll.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (0-2, 0-2 NE10), Franklin Pierce (1-1, 1-1 NE10)

LEADERS

• Sophomore Mathis Billman (Brandon, Miss./South Carolina Connections Academy), 2 wins
• Sophomore Julius van den Broek (Bergschenhoek, The Netherlands/Wolfert Lyceum), 2 wins
• Senior Jackson Moser (Missouri City, Texas/Ridge Point), 1 win
• First-year Garrett Brooker (Charleston, S.C./Oceanside Collegiate Academy), 1 win

MATCH FACTS

• Each of the top five singles matches went three sets.

THE ACTION

• Saint Michael's took the doubles point on the strength of two victories. Billman and van den Broek opened play with a 6-3 victory at No. 1 in their first contest together this year before Brooker and Moser rattled off a 6-4 win at No. 3, their fifth in seven outings since Saturday.
• Franklin Pierce forged ahead, 3-1, when Ravens won in three sets at each No. 1, 2 and 3 singles. Senior Tristian Du Plessis (Rustenburg, South Africa/Hoërskool Waterkloof/Wallace State CC) lost by a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 count in the second spot, Moser was downed 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 at No. 1, and junior Sergio Barroso (Madrid, Spain/Colegio Montpellier) took a one-set lead in a 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 setback in the third slot.
• Van den Broek fought off three match points in his second set during a 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 comeback victory at No. 4, and Billman claimed a 6-2, 6-1 win in the sixth position, tying the match at three apiece.
• In a contest that featured three close sets, Brooker ultimately lost a 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 outing in the fifth spot, clinching the victory for Franklin Pierce.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S MATCH

• Saturday vs. Bentley University, 2 p.m.
• The contest will be a rematch of last spring's NE10 Championship first-round match, won by the Purple Knights, 4-3.