The men’s tennis team split a pair of matches over the weekend, falling to Tufts 7-2 on Saturday but rebounding to defeat Colby 6-3 on Sunday. The team now sits at 10-5 on the season and 1-1 in the NESCAC standings.

Against Tufts, Wesleyan fell in five of the six singles matches; five of the matches were decided in straight sets. Matt O’Connell ’09 was the only Wesleyan winner, as he took a 6-3, 7-5 decision at the number-one spot. Number-five Michael Piderit ’12 (3-6, 3-6), number-three Paul Gerdes ’09 (4-6, 2-6), and number-six Alejandro Alvarado ’09 (2-6, 2-6) all suffered close losses. Number-two Graham Immerman ’09 split the first two sets 5-7, 6-1, but fell in the speed-up tiebreaker 6-10 when the result of the match was already decided. At number four, Jaafar Rizvi fell in straight sets, 3-6, 0-6.

Gerdes and Alvarado had Wesleyan’s only doubles win on the afternoon, taking an 8-5 decision at number three. The number-one pair of Rizvi and O’Connell fell 4-8, while Immerman and Piderit fell 5-8 at number two.

Wesleyan has lost its last 23 matches against Tufts and has not defeated the Jumbos since May 6, 1941. The teams did not meet from 1941-1976.

The Cardinals rebounded on Sunday, however, with their first victory over Colby since 2003. Wesleyan won two of the three doubles matches and took three singles matches in straight sets; two others were shortened to pro sets once the outcome of the match was decided. Immerman (#2; 6-3, 6-1), Gerdes (#3; 6-0, 6-2), and Rizvi (#4; 7-6, 6-2) all won their singles matches in straight sets. Piderit (#5, 9-7) and Alvarado (#6, 8-4) also won their shortened matches. O’Connell fell at number-one singles, 1-6, 6-2, 2-6. Immerman and Piderit took an 8-6 victory at number-two doubles, and Gerdes and Alvarado steamrolled to an 8-2 win at number three. Rizvi and O’Connell fell 4-8 at number-one doubles.

The team returns to action this weekend at Middlebury, its first match against the Panthers since 1972.