Springfield – Capital University's men's tennis team opened play for the fall season this past Friday and Saturday at the two day Wittenberg Invitational.
The Crusaders competed in both the singles and doubles matches throughout the two day invite, to which early season success was marked among the singles competitors.
Two Crusaders, freshman Dale Booher and sophomore Luke Buchanan, made it to the quarterfinals of the Red Flight Singles, while Buchanan advanced all the way to the finals of his flight, before falling in two sets (6-4, 6-2), against Wittenberg freshman Juan Mena.
In the Blue Flight Singles, freshman Beau Streey defeated Ohio Wesleyan freshman Chris Brinich in three sets (4-6, 6-0, 1-0), before exiting the flight in a quarterfinals match loss to Wittenberg.
In addition, the backdraw of the Blue Flight Singles also saw success for the Crusaders, as sophomore Spencer Walter advanced past an Ohio Wesleyan competitor in two sets (6-4, 6-0), taking the same path in the championship en route to a two set victory (6-4, 6-2) over Cedarville junior Adam Levesque.
Sophomore Gian Carlo DiMichelangelo and junior Jared Judson also competed in the invite, advancing to the semifinals in the Green Flight Singles.
Rounding out the singles matches for the Crusaders was junior Josh Dotson, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the Orange Flight Singles and the finals of the flight's backdraw. Also, Sophomore Jesse Faulkner and junior Andrew Collins advanced to the semifinals and quarterfinals respectively in their competition within the White Flight Singles.
On the doubles side of the invite, the Crusaders proved to be successful in both flight's, as DiMichelangelo and Judson paired up for a run to the Flight B Championship, before falling 8-2 to fellow Ohio Athletic Conference opponent Ohio Northern.
Booher and Buchanan also partnered for a deep run, advancing to the semifinals of Flight A before coming up just short, losing 8-6 to host Wittenberg.
Also competing in doubles was Streey and Walter, advancing to the Flight A quarterfinals before falling 8-2, while Dotson and Faulkner also exited in the quarterfinals, falling 8-4. Both doubles matches were against Wittenberg.
Next match for Capital is Sept. 15 vs. Adrian (Mich.), before the Crusaders take to the road again to compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Sept. 27-30 in Kalamazoo, Mich.
