Although there was a disappointing showing in the doubles competition, the men’s tennis team competed well against tough opponents in singles play on Oct. 3-5. Nick Bybel ’16 recorded a victory in the top bracket in the Virginia Fall Classic, with the Bison winning the top victory overall in the 17-team field.

“I felt that our team proved we can compete with some great schools around the country,” Daniel Wright ’18 said.

Due to weather conditions, only doubles matches were played on the first day of the tournament, and the Orange and Blue struggled to hold their own against tough competition.

Bybel and Maxwell Kane ’18 lost to a pair from UMBC in the Orange bracket, while Octavio Canibe ’15 and Ben Gerber ’18 bowed out in White Doubles to Norfolk State. In Red Doubles, Wright and Bryan Adams ’17 beat out a duo from George Washington but lost to a pair from James Madison in the second round.

“This is what this time of year is for: to learn from your mistakes and bounce back better. As the season comes to an end, I believe that our team has grown a lot collectively and individually,” Wright said.

On the second day of competition, Bybel led the way with a victory in Blue Singles over an opponent from Liberty for his 100th career win, and then continued on with a win against his Princeton opponent. In Gold Singles, Gerber won his first match before getting knocked out by his UMBC opponent. Kane, Canibe, and Wright were all defeated in the first round by competition in their respective brackets.

Bybel continued his dominance on Oct. 5 with a comeback victory over Virginia Tech 3-6, 6-4, 10-2. With the win, he kept his singles tournament streak alive this season.

In consolation play, Canibe represented the Bison in the Black Singles bracket, grabbing 13th place over a UMBC opponent. Kane also competed in the final game of his consolation bracket, but fell short of 13th place with a loss. Wright and Gerber both were unable to grab victories in their matches, but still placed strongly for the Orange and Blue based on their seeding.

“I was quite happy with my doubles performance, and I created good opportunities during my singles, but I just couldn’t close it out,” Wright said.

The Bison’s fall season will wrap up with the Mid-Atlantic Regionals in Charlottesville, Va. on Oct. 16-20.