The Bison men’s tennis team went 2-for-3 in their first Patriot League matches of the season, triumphing over Lafayette and Holy Cross but falling to Army on the Knights’ home court on March 24-25. The weekend improved the team’s overall record to 5-16 after a tough schedule outside of Patriot League matches, and sets them as a top team to watch in the Patriot League.

The Bison were coming off three straight losses after falling to Penn State, Pepperdine, and Michigan State. While these matches temporarily sank their record, the team was well-prepared for League play.

The weekend started with a 5-0 sweep of Holy Cross on March 24, preserving the program’s perfect record against the Crusaders. Doubles teams of Dan Wright ’18 and Max Kane’18, Max McDonald ’19 and Andrei Vitiuc ’19, and Ben Gerber ’18 and Drew Krantz ’21 tallied wins at 6-1, 6-2, and 6-2, respectively. The success continued on the singles courts, where McDonald earned a 6-2, 6-1 win and Colin Sacco ’20 delivered a 6-1, 6-2 win. Max Garramone ’21 wrapped up the singles run with a 6-0, 6-1 win.

The Bison managed to grab another 5-0 win a second time that day against Lafayette. Sacco went 6-3, 6-2 in singles, while Kane finished 6-0, 6-4 and Krantz with 6-0, 6-1. Doubles saw different pairings yield a perfect sweep. Doubles team Vitiuc and McDonald went 6-2 on court two, while Erskine and Garramone tallied the same advantage on court three.

On March 25, the Orange and Blue matched up against top-ranked Army West Point. The Black Knights ended the Bison’s winning streak, with a series of close matches ultimately ending in a 0-6 loss.

“It was an amazing college tennis match and effort by both teams,” head coach Bruce Myers said. “That’s the best this team has played during my time [here] and I know we have another level we can get to.”

The Bison look to continue their Patriot League success when they host Colgate on April 1.