OLEAN, NY - The men's tennis team took care of business in New York, dominating conference opponent Pitt.-Bradford 9-0 as the front half of their weekend away matches.

Head coach Scott Greve elected to change the lineup ahead of doubles play; the result saw freshman Jack Galla and senior partner David Freytag play up a spot at No. 2 doubles. The duo put down their Bradford opponents 8-1, behind effective service games from both Barons; Galla capitalized on overheads at the net, and joined by Freytag during numerous serve-and-volley opportunities, they gave Franciscan the 1-0 overall lead.

After early match hiccups saw No. 1 doubles pair Jarek Sulak and John Gallagher go down 2-1, the Barons hit their stride, deepening their groundstrokes and finishing points at the net. The juniors lost just one more game during the proceeding eight, and put away their Bradford counterparts to remain undefeated in conference play.

Playing at No. 3 doubles for the first time this season, senior Isaac Mannella joined junior Connor Jooste for a match characterized by a slow start, and an epic finish. Down 6-2, the Barons regrouped behind punctual service returns and volley winners. Smarter Baron tennis on court three was typified by better footwork and commanding net play when it mattered most. Franciscan won five straight games for the 7-6 lead, and took the match 9-8 in a tiebreak. It was Mannella's first official match win in a Baron uniform.

The doubles sweep gave Franciscan a 3-0 at the onset of singles play. At No. 1 singles, Sulak found a service return rhythm perhaps the most consistent it's been all year, en route to a 6-0, 6-0 win. He kept his opponent running on the baseline with topspin-laden groundstrokes, especially off the forehand side, before closing at the net. His first serve also found its rhythm, allowing him to work with early leads in the majority of his service games.

A court to the left, team captain Freytag achieved the same 6-0, 6-0 score even faster at No. 3 singles, achieving depth on both his first serves and subsequent groundstrokes. At No. 2 singles, Gallagher lost only three points during his opening set, and saved a break point in the second, for a third 6-0, 6-0, on a day when the top half of Franciscan's lineup finished singles play without surrendering a single game.

Singles specialist Walter Matt looked as sharp on the court as he has all year; the freshman took his first set 6-2 at No. 5 singles, behind consistent backhand slice approaches capitalized by angled volleys at the net. Things got better in the second set, when Matt continued to paint the lines from behind the service line, before registering a 6-1 set win and the match victory. Matt finished his match a perfect 7-0 in service games.

At No. 4 singles, Galla showed all the signs of a maturing tennis player, exhibiting patience while peppering his opponent's backhand with relentless angled groundstrokes. His 6-0 first set saw him take pace off of his groundstrokes, and punctuate several points with confident volleys into opposite corners. After brief groundstroke inconsistencies lost him two games up 5-0, Galla closed the door on his opponent's comeback hopes, and gave Franciscan their eighth match victory on the day.

The match of the day belonged to Mannella, who was looking in his final year at Franciscan to record a second straight match win. Things started well for the senior: his solid service games put consistent pressure on his opponent, and Mannella broke serve several times in his first set before he served it out at 5-2.

Momentum carried over to the second set, where Mannella took a 1-0 lead, courtesy of an immediate service break. Despite low backhands over the net and high footwork awareness, the senior found himself down 2-3. He took the next two games with intentional shot placement to his opponent's inconsistent backhand, and changed sides of the court up 4-3. He would surrender one final game, before serving well down the stretch, and registering one final break of serve for the 6-4 set win, the final victory to give Franciscan the 9-0 sweep.

The next time the Barons take the court, it's a pivotal conference matchup against Penn St.-Behrend at 3:00 p.m tomorrow.