Gilhuly outlasts competition at first singles

WESTON, Mass. (September 20, 2013) – Junior Christopher Brewer (Brattleboro, Vt.) stormed to a 6-1, 6-1 win at second singles on Friday afternoon to key a 9-0 sweep for the Franklin Pierce University men's tennis team over Regis (Mass.) in non-conference play on the road.

The match was the season opener for Franklin Pierce, which opens the season at 1-0 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Regis falls to 0-2 (0-0 New England).

All six Franklin Pierce players won in both singles and doubles play on Friday as the Ravens swept their way through the match. Regis kept things close in doubles play, particularly at third doubles, where senior Tyler Colombo (Gardner, Mass.) and junior Mark Petrie (Pembroke, Mass.) had to gut out a 9-7 win over Regis sophomore Austin Nace and senior Andy White. Franklin Pierce scored 8-4 wins at both first and second doubles to finish off the sweep of the day's three doubles contests. At first doubles, Brewer and senior Pat Gilhuly (Killingworth, Conn.) prevailed over junior Michael Beluch and freshman Nathan Cohen, while sophomores Drew Bennett (Rindge, N.H.) and Jared Taylor (Pelham, N.H.) took the second doubles match from freshmen Nick Hildreth and Jarid Polley.

Brewer led the charge in singles play, with his dominant win over Cohen at second singles. At the top of the table, Gilhuly took the first set from Beluch at first singles, 6-2, before Beluch answered with a 6-1 win to even things and force a third-set tiebreak. While the first two sets had been blowouts, the tiebreak played nearly even, with Gilhuly prevailing to lock down the 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 victory.

The Ravens took all the remaining singles matches in straight sets, led by Taylor's 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Polley at third singles. At fourth singles, Bennett needed to win a tiebreaker in the second set, but still put away White, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6). Petrie posted a 6-2, 6-1 win over Hildreth at fifth singles, while Colombo notched a 6-3, 6-3 win over Nace at sixth singles to round out the afternoon.

The Ravens return to the court on Sunday, Sept. 22, when they travel to Curry for a non-conference match at noon in Milton, Mass.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce tennis apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).