Box Score Wilkes Barre, PA – You would be hard pressed over the past ten years that perennial Freedom Conference powerhouse the Wilkes University Colonels men's tennis team has lost more than two points in any dual match.  Last year the Colonels shutout every one of their Freedom Conference opponents 9-0 while earning an NCAA tournament berth .  Yesterday on the campus of Wilkes University the SUNY Oneonta men's tennis squad came within a whisker of upsetting the Colonels on their home court.  However, the Red Dragons came up short, but not without pushing Wilkes to the limit.

Doubles competition ended with the Red Dragons down 2-1 which set the stage for an outstanding singles battle.  The number one doubles team of senior Michael Nelson (Manhasset/Manhasset) and sophomore Joseph D'Orazio (Smithtown/Smithtown) needed five match points before they could claim victory.  The pair finally broke serve in the 16^th game and secured the competition in a nail biter 9-7. 

The singles was a marathon event that took the players on the court to dusk to complete the competition.  After losing one and two singles a comeback happened when third singles player sophomore Michael Denigris won handily 6-1, 6-3 allowing the Red Dragons to secure their second point making the match already closer than the Colonels expected.  Junior Cole Laffitte (East Setauket/Ward Melville) pushed his opponent to a super tiebreaker and won his match at fourth singles winning 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 to make the team match score 4-3 in favor of the Colonels.  On court five junior Zach Lasky (Latham/Colonie) lost the first set in a tiebreaker and won the second set 6-3 and forced another super tiebreaker which Lasky won with a dramatic passing shot on match point.  The final score of the Lasky contest was 6-7, 6-3, 11-9 and 4-4 overall in individual matches.  One more match was needed to secure an upset win but the Red Dragons fell short in a heartbreaker.  Junior Tim Dislter lost the first set but kept pace with his opponent in the second set forcing the tiebreaker but unfortunately Distler played tough gritty tennis and found himself though on the losing side of the match in sixth singles decider 6-1, 7-6.  That Colonels win at the sixth flight clinched the dual match for Wilkes University.

A valiant effort by the Red Dragon men!  However, they will lick their wounds and travel as team to Connecticut College to play a tournament with Conn College, Coast Guard Academy, Stonehill, Nichols and Colby Sawyer on Saturday, October 8^th beginning at 10 AM.  The matches will be co-hosted by the Coast Guard Academy and Connecticut College at their respective campuses in New London, CT.