by Kevin Buczek
WILSON, N.C.-Senior Pier-Alexandre Desilets (Montreal, Canada) registered the only win for host Barton College as Southeast Region undefeated Catawba College posted a 6-1 men's tennis victory on Friday afternoon.
The Indians, who moved to 3-0 on the season, swept doubles play and won three of the bottom four singles matches to clinch the win.
Desilets and freshman Antoine Massicotte (Quebec, Canada) narrowly lost at No. 2 doubles in a dramatic 9-8 (10-8) marathon as Catawba finished off a very successful doubles display.
Desilets – a third-team All-Conference Carolinas honoree in 2011 – moved into the top singles position for Barton this year and made a statement with a 6-0, 6-3 victory to start his final season.
Barton took the court with an inexperienced lineup that featured four freshmen playing in their first collegiate dual match. Massicotte had a chance of picking up his first collegiate dual match win splitting his first two sets at No. 4 but his tilt, along with No. 2, was stopped after Catawba clinched the victory and a thunderstorm moved over the Barton Tennis Complex.
Barton (0-1) will host its Alumni Match on Saturday, October 22 at 2 p.m. to end play for the fall semester. The Bulldogs championship spring season will begin in February.
