As Bison student-athletes started arriving back to campus after winter break, the men’s tennis team had little time to get settled in. As soon as they arrived, they began preparing for an exciting early season to come. As their first spring event neared – a match against the James Madison Dukes on Friday, January 21st – the team had to get in competitive order rather quickly. 

The men’s tennis team made their Spring 2022 debut in Harrisonburg, Virginia against James Madison University. Unfortunately, the match didn’t go as the Bison hoped, with the team suffering a 7-0 loss to the Dukes. One of the highlights from the game was the 6-4 win in No. 2 doubles win earned by Tim Zelikovsky ’24 and Carlos Carvalho ’25. 

Wasting no time, the Orange and Blue then traveled to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to visit the Tar Heels for their next game. Originally scheduled to be a double-header, inclement weather conditions forced the Bison and the Tar Heels to play a single match on noon Sunday, Jan. 23. The men’s tennis team took another heavy loss (7-0) but had many more successful battles along the way. 

Currently-13th-ranked North Carolina made a tough early opponent for the spring schedule. The Tar Heels successfully beat Bucknell on Courts 2 and 3 with 6-2 wins, however, the Orange and Blue were working to secure a win at Court 1. Michael Owen ’23 and Nick Mueller ’23 were able to hold a 5-3 lead, but weren’t able to serve for the match as it was called once the point was clinched for the Tar Heels.

The Bison will be soon traveling to East Lansing, Michigan to compete against Toledo and Michigan State on Jan. 29. Although both are challenging teams to face, men’s tennis is up to the challenge.