Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Bucknell
Men's Tennis Tops Bucknell, Advances to PL Championship
April 18, 2015 | Men's Tennis
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The top-seeded Army West Point men's tennis team defeated fifth-seeded Bucknell, 4-2, in a Patriot League semifinal match on Saturday afternoon at Bucknell's Varsity Tennis Courts. The Black Knights improve to 18-8 on the season and will play in Sunday's championship match, while the Bison fall to 14-9.
Army West Point earned the doubles point after winning two of the three matches in doubles competition. Bucknell triumphed in the No. 1 doubles contest before junior Harrison McCormick and sophomore Grant Riechmann teamed up for an 8-6 victory at No. 2 doubles.
Junior Austin McCasin and sophomore Kyle Barnes battled to an 8-6 win over Octavio Canibe and Ben Gerber in the No. 3 match to seal the doubles point for the Black Knights.
Army West Point freshman Michael Nguyen secured a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 6 to give the Black Knights an early 1-0 lead in the singles portion of the competition before senior Alex Van Velzer gathered a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles.
Bucknell's Bryan Adams and Nick Bybel earned victories at No. 3 and No. 1, respectively, and junior Caison Best clinched the match for Army West Point with a 7-6 (3), 7-5 decision over Canibe at No. 4.
The Black Knights return to the court on Sunday, when they will battle for their second straight Patriot League title at noon. Army West Point will face second-seeded Navy.
Army West Point 4, Bucknell 2
Doubles
1. Nick Bybel/Bryan Adams (B) def. Sam Lampman/Alex Van Velzer, 8-4
2. Grant Riechmann/Harrison McCormick (A) def. Daniel Wright/Maxwell Kane, 8-6
3. Kyle Barnes/Austin McCasin (A) def. Octavio Canibe/Ben Gerber, 8-6
Order of Finish -- 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. Nick Bybel (B) def. Sam Lampman, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
2. Alex Van Velzer (A) def. Daniel Wright, 6-2, 6-2
3. Bryan Adams (B) def. Grant Riechmann, 7-5, 6-4
4. Caison Best (A) def. Octavio Canibe, 7-6 (3), 7-5
5. Kyle Barnes (A) led Maxwell Kane, 7-6 (11), 5-1 (DNF)
6. Michael Nguyen (A) def. Ben Gerber, 6-4, 6-2
Order of Finish -- 6, 2, 3, 1, 4
2015 Patriot League Men's Tennis Tournament
Thursday, April 16 -- First Round
No. 8 Lafayette 4, No. 9 Holy Cross 0
Friday, April 17 -- Quarterfinals
No. 1 Army West Point 4, No. 8 Lafayette 0
No. 5 Bucknell 4, No. 4 Colgate 0
No. 3 Boston University 4, No. 6 Lehigh 3
No. 2 Navy 4, No. 7 Loyola 0
Saturday, April 18 -- Semifinals
No. 1 Army West Point 4, No. 5 Bucknell 2
No. 2 Navy 4, No. 3 Boston University 1
Sunday, April 19 -- Championship
No. 1 Army West Point vs. No. 2 Navy, noon
Players Mentioned
