Franklin Pierce downed by Merrimack, 8-1
Gardella and Nogueira move to 4-1 in first
doubles play with an 8-6 win

RINDGE, N.H. (October 21, 2007) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s tennis team was defeated by Merrimack College by a score of 8-1 in a Northeast-10 Conference men’s tennis match at the Franklin Pierce tennis courts on Sunday afternoon.

Senior Austin Gardella (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) and sophomore Helder Nogueira (Dourados, Brazil/Lowell (Mass.)) earned Franklin Pierce’s only point of the afternoon, earning a hard-fought win at first doubles with an 8-6 victory over Merrimack’s Adam Wilding (Lewiston, Me./Lewiston) and John Seaward (Pomfret, Conn./Woodstock Academy). With the win, the duo moved to 4-1 in first doubles play this season.

The Ravens also came close in three singles matches, including two that needed tiebreakers to decide a winner. Nogueira took the first set in his first singles match against Wilding, 6-2, before Wilding came back with a 6-4 second-set win and a 10-6 win in a tiebreaker to take the match. Freshman Max Logan (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) also needed a tiebreaker to determine his sixth-singles match, as he took the first set, 6-3, before falling to Jon Ravenelle in the second set, 6-3, and in the deciding tiebreaker, 10-6.

Gardella also put a scare into Seaward in second singles play, nearly taking the first set by a 7-6 margin before dropping a 6-4 second set.

Franklin Pierce concludes the fall portion of its 2007-08 schedule with a 1-4 overall and Northeast-10 mark, as the Ravens will continue Northeast-10 play in the spring. Merrimack completes its fall schedule with a 2-0 mark overall and in conference play.

Merrimack 8, Franklin Pierce 1

Doubles: 

1.  Austin Gardella/Helder Nogueira (FP) def. Adam Wilding/John Seaward (MER), 8-6

2.  Steve Viglione/Tim McNugh (MER) def. Max Logan/M. Smith (FP), 8-3

3.  Liam Hoare/Jon Ravenelle (MER) def. Ben Reynolds/George Xeanakis (FP), 8-3

Singles:

1.  Wilding (MER) def. Nogueira (FP), 2-6, 6-4, (10-6)

2.  Seaward (MER) def. Gardella (FP), 7-6, 6-4

3.  Viglione (MER) def. Strayer (FP), 6-0, 6-0

4.  McNugh (MER) def. Matthew Robinson (FP), 6-1, 6-4

5.  Hoare (MER) def. Xeanakis (FP), 6-0, 6-3

6.  Ravenelle (MER) def. Logan (FP), 3-6, 6-3, (10-6)