Men's Tennis | 4/26/2025 4:34:00 PM
NORTHFIELD, VT - The Norwich University men's tennis team kept their postseason dreams alive in emphatic fashion Saturday afternoon, dispatching SUNY Delhi with a commanding 8-1 victory in the Empire 8 Quarterfinals at Shapiro Fieldhouse.
The Cadets swept through doubles play to build early momentum before capturing five of six singles matches to secure their first playoff win since 2015 and their second-ever triumph over the Broncos in as many meetings.
Norwich struck first in doubles, as
Stephen Hartigan (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and
Ethan Teluk (Manlius, N.Y.) set the tone with a quick 8-2 victory over Nolan Kleinsasser and Gabriel Manso at No. 3 doubles. Moments later, the top-flight tandem of
Terrance Bayly-Henshaw (Scottsville, N.Y.) and
Jaxson Redmond (Kennebunkport, Maine) powered past Benjamin Andersen and Nicholas Vanhouten 8-2, at No. 1 doubles.
Keagan Bakke (Gun Barrel City, Texas) and
Gabe Wettig (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) capped the doubles sweep with an 8-3 win at No. 2 over Devin Guerrieri and Gavin Bonczkowski.
The Cadets kept their foot on the gas in singles action. Bakke made quick work of Andersen at No. 1 singles, surrendering just a single game en route to a 6-1, 6-0 triumph. Redmond followed suit at No. 3 singles with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory over Vanhouten to push Norwich closer to clinching victory.
SUNY Delhi earned its lone point of the day at No. 4 singles, where Kleinsasser battled past Wettig, 6-2, 6-3. However, Norwich quickly sealed the team result behind Bayly-Henshaw's 6-3, 6-2 decision over Guerrieri at No. 2.
Hartigan and Teluk then tacked on two more wins in eight-game pro sets with Teluk cruising to an 8-2 win at No. 6 and Hartigan closing the afternoon with an 8-4 victory at No. 5.
Saturday's victory marked Norwich's first home playoff match since the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship bout against Ramapo College, and their first postseason win since a GNAC Semifinal triumph over Suffolk University earlier that same week.
MATCH RESULTS:
SINGLES:
- No. 1 - Keagan Bakke (Norwich) def. Benjamin Andersen (SUNY Delhi), 6-1, 6-0
- No. 2 - Terrance Bayly-Henshaw (Norwich) def. Devin Guerrieri (SUNY Delhi), 6-3, 6-2
- No. 3 - Jaxson Redmond (Norwich) def. Nicholas Vanhouten (SUNY Delhi), 6-2, 6-2
- No. 4 - Nolan Kleinsasser (SUNY Delhi) def. Gabe Wettig (Norwich), 6-2, 6-3
- No. 5 - Stephen Hartigan (Norwich) def. Gavin Bonczkowski (SUNY Delhi), 8-4
- No. 6 - Ethan Teluk (Norwich) def. Gabriel Manso (SUNY Delhi), 8-2
DOUBLES:
- No. 1 - Bayly-Henshaw/Redmond (Norwich) def. Andersen/Vanhouten (SUNY Delhi), 8-2
- No. 2 - Bakke/Wettig (Norwich) def. Guerrieri/Bonczkowski (SUNY Delhi), 8-3
- No. 3 - Hartigan/Teluk (Norwich) def. Kleinsasser/Manso (SUNY Delhi), 8-2
With the win, the Cadets move on to the Empire 8 Semifinals, where they will face Nazareth University, the top seed from the West Division, on Friday, May 2. The match will take place at the Annette Shapiro Tennis Courts in Rochester, N.Y., with the Empire 8 Championship to follow the next day. SUNY Oswego and Houghton University will meet in the other quarterfinal for a chance to take on East Division champion Thomas College in the Empire 8 Semifinals.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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