SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The third-seeded Colgate men's tennis team downed sixth-seeded Bucknell, 4-2, in the Patriot League Quarterfinal Friday afternoon at Drumlins Country Club.
 
The win advances Colgate to the conference semifinals for the first time in nine years. They will take on Army West Point at 2 p.m.
 
The Raiders are now 15-6 on the season, while the Bison closed out the year with an overall mark of 6-22. This is the most wins for the Raiders in a season since 1998 when Colgate won 16.
 
It was a seesaw match with three singles matches going three sets. After dropping the doubles point, the Raiders came out strong in singles play.
 
Noah Rosenblat, Jack Ablon, Scott Bickel and Peter Hartman won their singles matches. Rosenblat Ablon and Bickel claimed their matches in two sets.
 
Hartman, who was the only Raider to drop his opening set in singles, rallied to win the next two sets to clinch the Raiders victory. In the third set, the Birmingham, Alabama, native found himself trailing Bucknell's Collin Sacco 4-2. He went on to win the following four games to take the match.

Senior Jacob Daugherty led a tiebreaker in the third set, 2-0, when Hartman clinched the victory.  

BOTTOM LINE
Colgate 4, Bucknell 2
 
DOUBLES
No. 1 – Wright/Gerber (Bucknell) def. Krantz/Rosenblat ('Gate): 6-1
No. 2 – Vitiuc/McDonald (Bucknell) def. Daugherty/ Dardis ('Gate): 6-3
No. 3 – Hartman/Ablon ('Gate) vs. Kane/Erskine (Bucknell): DNF 5-3
 
Order of Finish: 1, 2

SINGLES
No. 1 – Daugherty ('Gate) vs. Wright (Bucknell): DNF 6-4, 4-6, 6-6 (2-0)
No. 2 – Bickel ('Gate) def. Vitiuc (Bucknell): 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 – Rosenblat ('Gate) def. Kane (Bucknell): 6-1, 6-1
No. 4 – McDonald (Bucknell) def. Dardis ('Gate): 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 – Hartman ('Gate) def. Sacco (Bucknell): 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 – Ablon ('Gate) def. Gerber (Bucknell): 6-2, 6-4
 
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 2, 4, 5
 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Bobby Pennington
On the player's overall performance: "It was an unbelievable tennis match. I'm just so happy for the guys. The last nine years there's been a lot of ups and downs since we last got to the semis. All year, I've never had a team lose that many doubles points and then fight that hard in singles."
 
"Give credit to Bickel, Rosenblat and Ablon for winning in straight sets. It was an absolute marathon with Hartman and Daugherty."
 
On why he stayed with Hartman at the end of the match: "I thought it could come down to him. He just pulled through. He was so clutch. I'm so happy for him."

On tomorrow's match: "We're not satisfied. Our goal is to beat Army tomorrow. That's the plan. That's what we talked about all year."

UP NEXT
The Raiders await No. 2 Army West Point in the Patriot League Semifinals. The match will be played at Drumlins in Syracuse.