(Lancaster, Pa.) – The #5-seed Dickinson men's tennis team suffered a 5-0 setback in the first round of the 2016 Centennial Conference playoffs on Wednesday afternoon at #4-seed Franklin & Marshall, squaring-off against the Diplomats for the second time in three days.
F&M, ranked #11 in the ITA Atlantic South Region, jumped out to a 3-0 lead, claiming all three doubles matches from the #18-ranked Red Devils. Seniors Evan Davis (Westport, Conn./Staples) and Joey Frank (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Boca Raton) put up a fight in the second flight, falling 8-6.
Samuel Loring (New York, N.Y./Blair Academy) and Shawn Diniz (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands) played to an 8-5 setback in the number three spot.
The Diplomats secured the match with wins in the first and third singles flights, closing out the match 5-0. Davis was in a 5-4 first set in the fourth flight while Steven Kaplan (Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) was putting together a strong second set in the number two spot at the point of decision.
The Red Devils finish the season 6-9 overall. F&M improved to 15-4 overall and will travel to Swarthmore College on Saturday to meet the #1-seeded Garnet in the semifinals.
