WATERVILLE, Maine (April 16, 2019) – The Franklin Pierce University men's tennis team was defeated on the road on Tuesday afternoon, 8-1, in non-conference play at Colby.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 9-8, while Colby improves to 6-7.

Playing under Division III match-scoring rules, Colby opened up a 3-0 lead by taking all three doubles matches at the start of competition. The tightest of the three came at second singles, where junior Yuval Barak (Zicron Ya'akov, Israel) and freshman Preston Gordon (Essex Junction, Vt.) held their own in an 8-5 loss to Colby freshman Max Schuermann and Garrett Reiter.

The lone point of the day for Franklin Pierce came at first singles. Sophomore Roberto Chong (Puigpunyent, Spain) picked up a 6-4, 6-2, straight-set win over junior Scott Altmeyer. Colby would take the remaining five singles matches to close out the 8-1 victory.

The only three-set singles match of the day came at sixth singles, where senior Marcus Lawrence (Acton, Mass.) tussled with Colby sophomore Peter Messenger. After Lawrence took the first set, 7-5, Messenger answered with a 6-1 win in the second set. With the team match already decided, the two played a 10-point tiebreak instead of a full third set, with Messenger claiming a 5-7, 6-1, 10-1 victory.

The Ravens return to the court on Thursday, April 18, when they return home to host Assumption in an important Northeast-10 Conference match at 3 p.m. in Rindge. 

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). 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' online store (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).