CCC QUARTERFINALS: Gordon Pulls Away From Endicott, 5-3

WENHAM, Mass. – The fifth-seeded Endicott men's tennis team lost to fourth-seeded Gordon College, 5-3, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at the Brigham Athletic Complex.

Endicott came out strong as the Gulls took a 2-1 lead from doubles with triumphs behind the pairings of Collin Dinardo (Westport, Mass.) / Christos Papadopoulos (Weymouth, Mass.) at the No. 3 spot (8-2) and Daniel Rinkert (Ben Lomond, Calif.) / Keaton McCleary (Charlotte, N.C) at the No. 2 flight (8-4).  

Meanwhile, singles play saw gritty performances on both sides, but the Fighting Scots battled back to take a 3-2 lead with wins at the No. 2 (6-3, 6-1) and No. 1 (7-6 (8-6), 6-0) positions. However, the Gulls tied the match at 3-3 via a victory from Toler at the No. 6 spot (6-3, 7-5).

Ultimately, Gordon sealed the match after the Fighting Scots rattled off two straight wins at the No. 3 (7-5, 2-6, 6-3) and No. 5 (2-6, 7-5, 6-4) flights. 

TOP QUOTE

"Gordon did a great job competing today," said Endicott men's tennis head coach Anthony D'Angelo. "I want to thank our seniors Keaton, Anthony Rinaldi (Attleboro Falls, Mass.), Christos, and Ozan Cermik (Cumberland, R.I.) for all they have given the program over the last four years. We will be back."

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Toler finished in a three-way tie for the team lead in singles wins with seven total.
• The pairing of Dinardo / Papadopoulos finished the year tied for first in doubles victories (five total).
• Endicott made its 13th straight appearance in the CCC Tournament today.
• Gordon avenged its 5-2 CCC Tournament quarterfinal loss from last year (April 28, 2018) with today's victory.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott's season comes to an end at 8-12 overall (4-3 CCC).  Meanwhile, fourth-seeded Gordon (9-11, 5-3) will travel to first-seeded Nichols for the CCC Semifinals on Wednesday, May 1 at a time to be determined later.

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

(Photo Credit - David Le '10)