Josh Leiner (left) and Josh Quijano (right) won by an 8-4 score at No. 3 doubles in Bates' match at Middlebury on March 11, 2017. (File photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) 

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- Junior Josh Leiner and sophomore Josh Quijano teamed up to win at third doubles to highlight the No. 26 nationally ranked Bates men's tennis team's NESCAC season-opening match at No. 3 Middlebury on Saturday. The host Panthers downed the Bobcats 8-1.

Leiner (Baltimore, Md.) and Quijano (Los Angeles, Calif.) defeated Middlebury's Allen Jackson and Timo van der Geest 8-4 to give Bates a point heading into singles play. Senior Pat Ordway (Falmouth, Maine) and first-year Jacob Kauppila (Chesterfield, Mo.) lost a narrow 9-7 decision to Kyle Schlanger and Peter Martin at second doubles, while junior Ben Rosen (Port Washington, N.Y.) and senior Chris Ellis (Shrewsbury, Mass.) fell 8-5 to Lubomir Cuba and William de Quant at No. 1.

After sweeping the first set 6-0, De Quant edged Ellis at No. 2 singles in what turned out to be a gritty battle, 6-0, 6-7 (9), 10-8, in the closest singles matchup of the day. Playing competitively but falling in straight sets were Rosen at No. 1, Quijano at No. 3, Kauppila at No. 4, first-year Vidyut Yadav (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) at No. 5 and Leiner at No. 6.

The Bobcats travel to Clinton, N.Y., to play at NESCAC rival Hamilton on Sunday starting at 1pm.