MEDIA, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's men's tennis team opened a three-match homestand on Saturday night but fell to Bucknell, 4-2, at the Springton Indoor Tennis Club.

“It was a close match overall, but Bucknell prevailed in close contests,” head coach Ian Crookenden said. “We started slowly in doubles and Bucknell kept the pressure on with the momentum gained from their strong start. The Hawks will be a lot better from the experience of this match.”

The Hawks and Bison split the opening doubles matches, with senior Andre Fick and sophomore Nathan Perrone grabbing a 6-1 win in the first flight, but Bucknell came away with the point with a win in the third flight.

On the singles side, the teams split the first four matches to keep things close. Perrone defeated Ethan Jacobs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0, in the first flight while sophomore Johnnie Massart was a winner over Max Garramone by the same score in the fourth.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, the Bison earned wins in the second, third, and fifth flights to secure the match victory.

SJU returns to Springton next week for matches with Davidson and Fairfield on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Bucknell 4, Saint Joseph's 2

Doubles
1. Andre Fick / Nathan Perrone (SJU) def. Ethan Jacobs / Andrei Vitiuc (BU), 6-1
2. Marwan Abaza / Max McDonald (BU) def. Sam Sauter / Beekman Schaeffer (SJU), 6-4
3. Max Garramone / Drew Krantz (BU) def. Luis Janko / Dan Tan (SJU), 6-1
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3

Singles
1. Perrone (SJU) def. Jacobs (BU), 6-4, 6-0
2. McDonald (BU) def. Fick (SJU), 7-5, 6-2
3. Abaza (BU) def. Schaeffer (SJU), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
4. Johnnie Massart (SJU) def. Garramone (BU), 6-4, 6-0
5. Krantz (BU) def. Tan (SJU), 6-2, 6-3
6. Ryan Jurist (BU) led Janko (SJU), 7-6 (3), 1-1

Game Scores
Singles: Bucknell 55, Saint Joseph's 53
Doubles: Bucknell 13, Saint Joseph's 11
Total: Bucknell 68, Saint Joseph's 64