The men’s tennis team kicked off the year with the Bucknell Tournament, which ran from Sept. 5-7. The team ended the tournament with two titles, as Nick Bybel ’16 won singles and the pair of Octavio Canibe ’15 and Ben Gerber ’18 won doubles.

The action began with the Bison boasting a relatively young roster—five first-years and five upperclassmen—to start off the new year. After the first day of matches, six Bison advanced to the singles quarterfinal rounds. Bybel, Daniel Wright ’18, and Maxwell Kane ’18 all advanced after victories in Flight A. In Flight B, Canibe and Gerber advanced, while Timber Erskine ’18 advanced into the next round of Flight C.

“I’m really looking forward to the upcoming year. We had a great tournament, but it’s just the beginning for us. We’re all training hard, and it’s exciting to be a part of such a growing program,” Kane said.

Doubles action included victories from the Bybel/Kane duo as well as from the team of Bryan Adams ’17 and Wright. The Flight B doubles team of Canibe and Gerber advanced into the finals. 

While some of the Bison players accepted hard-fought defeat as the tournament continued, Bybel, Canibe, and Erskine advanced into the final round of the singles brackets, while two doubles teams advanced into the finals: Bybel/Kane and Canibe/Gerber.

“It was an amazing experience, and I am really looking forward to what the year has got in store for us as a team,” Wright said of his first collegiate tournament.

The tournament came to a close after a series of exciting matches, with Bybel claiming a title in Flight A. The doubles duo of Canibe and Gerber were victorious, claiming a second title for the Bison to end the weekend.

The tournament marked the commencement of what should be an exciting year for the men’s tennis team, with the talented young first-years bringing a new dynamic to the team. Paired with the experience and leadership of strong and successful upperclassmen, the tournament only served as a hint of what is to come.

The next tournament will be the Saint Joseph’s Invitational in Philadelphia from Sept. 19-21.