MONROEVILLE, Pa. (Feb. 23, 2015) – After snapping a 13-year drought against Bucknell a season ago, the Saint Francis U men's tennis team downed the Bison with a season straight year, doing so by a 4-3 margin on Friday.
 
The Red Flash got the ball rolling by climbing out of a 1-0 hole to earn the doubles point.  After Bucknell took No. 1 doubles, Plamen Avuski (Plovdiv, Bulgaria /Math High School ) and Lawson Barter (Chicago, Ill./Loyola) teamed up to win No. 3 doubles.  Rodrigo Tico (Guadalajara, Mexico/Colegio de Bachilleres) and Washi Gervais (Longueuil, Quebec/College Stanislas) sewed up the doubles point with an 8-6 win in the No. 2 position.
 
The Bison and Flash stayed neck-and-neck for the entire match, which came down to a decisive No. 5 singles competition.  In a three-set thriller, Tico outlasted Bucknell counterpart Ben Gerber, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, to clinch the team win.
 
"This was a good win against a very strong and talented Bucknell team," said Flash coach Rob Castille. "It was nice to see some of the things we have been working hard on in practice be applied in the matches and even better that it was successful. It is also nice to see some of the guys that are working their way back from injury, staring to play better. We still have a lot we need to improve upon and we will continue to address those things in practice. We're looking to have a productive week as we prepare for Saint Joseph's and Drexel."
 
The Red Flash visits Saint Joe's on Saturday before calling on Drexel Sunday.
 
 
 
Saint Francis (3-5) def. Bucknell (3-2), 4-3
 
Doubles
1. Nick Bybel/Bryan Adams (BU) def. Jimenez/Carvajal (SFU), 8-1
2. Tico/Gervais (SFU) def. Octavio Canibe/Daniel Wright (BU), 8-6
3. Avuski/Barter (SFU) def. Ben Gerber/Maxwell Kane (BU), 8-6
 
Order of finish: 1, 3, *2
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. Nick Bybel (BU) def. Gervais (SFU), 6-1, 6-4
2. Jimenez (SFU) def. Bryan Adams (BU), 6-4, 6-3
3. Avuski (SFU) def. Octavio Canibe (BU), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Daniel Wright (BU) def. Cerdan (SFU), 6-2, 6-2
5. Tico (SFU) def. Ben Gerber (BU), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
6. Maxwell Kane (BU) def. Carvajal (SFU), 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
 
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3, 4, 6, *5
*Clinched the match-winning 4th point