MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's men's tennis team fell to Bucknell by a 5-2 score at the SJU Tennis Complex on Sunday afternoon.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Bucknell started off on the front foot with two doubles wins to claim the doubles point.  Othman Bezzaz and Ernesto Ruy earned a win in the first flight, however, taking a 6-4 decision.
 
• The Bison took the first three singles flights to reach completion to clinch the match.  The Hawks notched a pair of singles wins, with Ruy outlasting his second-flight opponent in a tiebreaker and Bezzaz winning in straight sets in the third.
 
HAWK TALK
"Today, we played a very solid Bucknell team," head coach Jeff Puhan said.  "It was a great doubles win for Ernesto and Othman.  In singles, we fought on every court, and Ernesto and Othman had great wins there as well."
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks host George Mason for their first A-10 matchup of the season on Friday.
 
RESULTS
 
Bucknell 5, Saint Joseph's 2
 
Doubles
1. Othman Bezzaz / Ernesto Ruy (SJU) def. Brendan McDonald / Amar Tahirovic (BUCK), 6-4
2. Oscar Bain / Adam Stavrakas (BUCK) def. John Butler / Eli Gan-Dy (SJU), 6-2
3. Liam Kilmer / Tim Zelikovsky (BUCK) def. Justus Agbo / Stergios Achilleas Papadopoulos (SJU), 7-5
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
 
Singles
1. Tahirovic (BUCK) def. Agbo (SJU), 6-3, 6-2
2. Ruy (SJU) def. Bain (BUCK), 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 (STB)
3. Bezzaz (SJU) def. McDonald (SJU), 6-4, 6-4
4. Kilmer (BUCK) def. Jack Campbell (SJU), 6-1, 6-2
5. Zelikovsky (BUCK) def. Papadopoulos (SJU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Will Robinson (BUCK) def. Mark Rubin (SJU), 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 5, 3, 2, 6