Bison Men's Tennis Opens 2016 with 5-4 Win Over Mount Aloysius
March 22 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College men's tennis program opened the 2016 season with a victory, defeating Mount Aloysius College by a score of 5-4 on Tuesday afternoon at the Mary Ewing Tennis Center in Bethany. Some new faces helped the Bison grab their first victory, including freshmen Rhone Thrash (Parkersburg, W. Va./Parkersburg) and Drake Berlin (Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington), who each captured two wins on the day.
Playing in their first collegiate match together, the duo of Thrash and Berlin began their Bethany careers by defeating the Mounties' Matt Hample and Nick Goldyn, 8-2, at No. 1 doubles. The Green & White would complete doubles play with a 2-1 advantage, as the Bison also secured a win at No. 2 doubles.
In the second flight, senior Kyle Booker (Forest Park, Ga./Forest Park) teamed with sophomore Chris Ray (Henrico, Va./Mills E. Godwin) to earn a hard-fought, 9-7, victory over Nick Centar and Justin Fleegle. After leading for most of the match, Ray and Booker fell behind 7-6, before rattling off three-straight points to earn the victory.
Needing just three points to secure the overall team victory, the Bison would find the difference in a hard-fought, three-set triumph from returning letterwinner Marcus Hooks (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon). The junior fell behind Goldyn early, dropping the first set 6-2. Then, after rallying to take the second set 6-4, Hooks earned the win by taking set three, 6-3.
Other winners in singles action included both Thrash and Berlin, who both won in straight sets. Thrash became a double winner on the day by defeating Hample (6-1, 6-3) at No. 1 singles.
Berlin also snagged his second point of the day, defeating Centar at No.2 singles. The freshman grabbed a 7-6 win in the first set (7-4 in the tiebreaker) before going on to sweep Centar, 6-0, in set two.
The victory for the Green & White marked their fourth season-opening win in the last five seasons. Also with their performances on the day, Thrash and Berlin become the first Bison freshmen since the 2012 season to capture two wins in their first collegiate match (Jared Roque).
Bethany will be back in action on Thursday, March 24, as they travel to Marietta, Ohio to take on the Pioneers of Marietta College. The match is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. start.
