RUTLAND, Vt. — The Castleton men's tennis team lost its first Little East Conference bout of 2023 against WestConn, 8-1, Saturday afternoon.

The Spartans (3-2) were blanked in doubles for the first time this season, but were competitive in all three matches. Miki Almirall/Phil Kluge and Connor Davis/Jason Lipscomb each fell 8-4 in flights one and two, respectively. The duo of Stanley Andersen and Andy Phelan lost to the Wolves' (2-3) Nicholas Walker/Jerry Narcisse by a narrow 8-6 margin.

Andersen collected the squad's lone victory in singles at flight No. 5, splitting two sets with Jerry Narcisse before winning the super-tiebreaker, 10-7. Phelan, previously 4-0, was beaten by Nick Peschier in 6-2, 6-3 fashion. Battling tough at the fourth spot, Lipscomb dropped the first set against Jay Kilcourse, 6-2, but battled his opponent to a 6-4 decision in the second. WestConn took decisive set wins in the top three flights, outscoring Castleton 36-5.

The Spartans do battle with NVU-Lyndon in an away non-conference match on Wednesday, March 29 at 6 p.m.