Golden Bears Open 2016 Campaign with 8-1 Win at Norwich

NORTHFIELD, Vt. (March 5, 2016) - The Western New England University men's tennis team opened its 2016 campaign with an 8-1 victory over Norwich University this afternoon at Shapiro Field House.

Western New England claimed two of the three doubles matches, as senior captain Andres Otero (Caracas, Venezuela) and freshman Justin Kohut (South Windsor, Conn.) teamed up to post an 8-2 win over junior Ian Hyte (Marblehead, Mass.) and sophomore Jeff Purdy (Grantham, N.H.) at No. 1, and the duo of senior Chris Spear (Windsor, Conn.) and sophomore Nick Raschilla (East Longmeadow, Mass.) claimed an 8-0 victory over sophomore Hadley Ellis (Jamestown, Ky.) and freshman Sam Beiter (Youngstown, N.Y.) at No. 3.

"The leadership of our seniors has been paramount in the offseason to aid in the success of today's match against an extremely competitive Norwich team," head coach Jennifer Kolins said. "Aside from our upperclassmen, three freshmen and a sophomore were victorious in their opening match, and played with determination and focus.

The Cadets earned their only victory of the contest at No. 2 doubles, as juniors Jay Carter (Glassboro, N.J.) and Tyler Eagan (Verona, N.J.) edged Western New England seniors Alexander Sause (Cusago, Italy) and Adam Zimmerman (South Windsor, Conn.).

In singles action, Sause defeated Hyte, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 at No. 1, and Otero followed that up with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Carter at No. 2. Spear notched a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win over Purdy at No. 3, while Kohut rolled to a 6-2, 6-0 victory against Eagan at No. 4.

Making their collegiate debuts for the Golden Bears, freshmen Michael Tran (West Haven, Conn.) and Drew Berg (Wilbraham, Mass.) posted wins at No. 5 and 6 singles, respectively. Tran defeated Beiter 6-3, 6-1, while Berg was victorious with a 6-1, 6-1 decision over Ellis.

Western New England (1-0) returns to action later in the month as the Golden Bears head down to Florida, while Norwich (0-2) hosts Lyndon State on Thursday.

Singles competition

1. Alexander Sause (WNE) def. Ian Hyte (NOR2016) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3

2. Andres Otero (WNE) def. Jay Carter (NOR2016) 6-3, 6-0

3. Chris Spear (WNE) def. Jeff Purdy (NOR2016) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2

4. Justin Kohut (WNE) def. Tyler Eagan (NOR2016) 6-2, 6-0

5. Michael Tran (WNE) def. Sam Beiter (NOR2016) 6-3, 6-1

6. Drew Berg (WNE) def. Hadley Ellis (NOR2016) 6-1, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. Justin Kohut/Andres Otero (WNE) def. Ian Hyte/Jeff Purdy (NOR2016) 8-2

2. Jay Carter/Tyler Eagan (NOR2016) def. Alexander Sause/Adam Zimmerman (WNE) 9-7

3. Chris Spear/Nick Rauschilla (WNE) def. Sam Beiter/Hadley Ellis (NOR2016) 8-0

Match Notes