The men’s tennis squad suffered a 5-2 loss against UMBC in Baltimore on Feb. 28.

Nick Bybel ’16 pulled out two wins for the Bison in singles and with doubles partner Aidan Lynch ’14, but the men ultimately lost the doubles point after losses at the No. 2 and 3 doubles spots. The second point was earned for the Orange and Blue by Jonathan DeFrancesch ’15 at No. 6 singles. DeFrancesch lost the first set 6-3, but came back to win his match 7-6, 10-5.

“On the singles front, we fought hard particularly at No. 1 with Nick Bybel and No. 6 with Johnny DeFrancesch,” Scott Bernstein ’14 said. “They played very solidly with smart strategies and the right amount of discipline.”

With Bybel’s win at No. 1 singles, his personal singles record improved to 15-7. He and DeFrancesch were the only two to come out with individual wins for the Bison. Doubles duo Bybel and Lynch improved their season record to 9-5 after their 8-2 win against UMBC. DeFrancesch and Bernstein lost 8-2 in the No. 2 doubles match, and Octavio Canibe ’15 and Kyle Rosen ’14 lost 8-0 to UMBC at No. 3 doubles.

“They are a solid team of both singles and doubles players,” Bernstein said. “We are still mixing around our doubles pairings, and are looking for the best synergies between partners. The doubles point could have been closer.”

Despite their loss, the men’s tennis team hopes to come out strong in their upcoming matches.

“As we progress through the season, we are committed to getting physically stronger and more match-tough,” Bernstein said.

The Bison will face Old Dominion in Virginia on March 8 and then South Carolina State and George Mason on March 11 and 12 in Hilton Head, S.C.