After three weekends of cancelled matches due to COVID-19, the Bison men’s tennis team finally got to compete in two matches this past Saturday at their home facility in Williamsport, Pa. 

In the first match they fell to Monmouth University 2-5. Marwan Abaza ’21 earned a point for the Bison at court one, defeating his competitor 5-7, 7-5, 10-6. For the doubles matches, duo Cooper Bradshaw ’22 and Michael Owen ’23 defeated Monmouth 6-3 and duo Abaza and Nick Mueller ’23 won 6-3. 

Against Saint Francis University, the Bison stood victorious, defeating the Red Flash 5-2. Owen won at number one singles 7-6 (5-0), 6-4, Mueller won at number three singles 6-1, 6-2, Tim Zelikovsky ’24 won at number four 6-1, 6-2, and Sam Yildirimlar ’21 won at number six 6-1, 7-5. For the doubles matches, the duo of Bradshaw and Owen proved themselves again winning 6-3. Mueller and Yildirimlar came out on top with the score 7-6 (4-0), and partners Guillermo Torres ’23 and Zelikovsky were victorious beating Saint Francis 6-4. 

“The opportunity to be able to play again and represent the school after almost a year out was truly special and one everyone on the team is very grateful for. The excitement was clear to see, and this was reflected on court with valiant performances across the board. Marwan’s battling win at #1 in spite of severe body cramps really summed up the fighting spirit of the group, and we know this will only serve us positively going forwards,” Owen said. 

On March 14, the Blue and Orange host NJIT in Williamsport, Pa. where the team hopes to earn another victory.