Box Score BRADFORD, Pa. - Franciscan men's tennis opened up conference play in dominating fashion with a 9-0 sweep over the Panthers of Pitt.-Bradford.
"There are still a lot of nerves and added pressure that go into our conference matches," head coach Jeremy Ellis said. "Since we won the title last year, everyone is playing us as the underdog. They step up their play a lot, which gives us a lot more pressure, but the guys did really well."
Junior Zachary Quiza dealt with most of the pressure in his no. 1 singles match, getting the second set handed to him but battling back to win in a third-set tiebreak 6-3, 0-6, 10-8.
"It was just a 10-point tiebreaker because the match was already decided," Ellis said about Quiza's ability to pull out the win. "He is a veteran and was able to win the points that were needed."
No. 1 doubles was a different story, however, as Quiza and his younger brother, freshman
Joseph Quiza, paired to win comfortably 8-0.
Freshman Jarek Sulak also felt a lot of pressure in no. 3 singles which was more competitive than the 6-3, 6-0 score.
"So far, I'm very pleased with where our newcomers are at right now," Ellis said about his young team. "We have a very strong team and I'm excited to see what they do as the year progresses."
This matchup with Pitt.-Bradford also marked the return of freshman Mitchell Plys to the court, as he missed the Baldwin Wallace match. Plys swept no. 5 singles 6-0, 6-0 and no. 3 doubles 8-0 with sophomore Nick Behrens.
"Having our full team here helps out a lot and gets us ready for our match tomorrow," Ellis said about Plys' return.
The Barons will return to the court against Otterbein University February 22 at 1 pm.
