HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – On a day that seemed likely to be clouded by weather, with both matches on the verge of being canceled, the Capital University men's tennis team pulled through to complete both matches, dropping the first to Lebanon Valley, 3-6, and shutting out Penn State Behrend, 9-0.


MATCH ONE vs LEBANON VALLEY
The Purple and White got off to a slow start, dropping all three doubles matches. The combo of Leonardo Abreu and Alex Stout kept it close in their match, being edged out 8-6. When it came to singles, Capital was able to fight to a split decision, winning three of the six matches. Leonardo Abreu, Spencer Surles, and Aaron Askew all saw victory in their individual contests. Abreu and Askew defeated their foes in straight sets, with Abreu winning 6-1 and 6-2, and Askew 6-1 and 7-6. Surles was forced to a third set, ultimately emerging victorious.


MATCH TWO vs PENN STATE BEHREND
Cap was able to bounce back strongly in the second round of matches, this time taking on the Nittany Lions. The Comets roared out to a 3-0 lead following the doubles matches. Abreu and Stout won their match by a decision of 8-4. The combos of Aaron Askew and Jesse Stevens as well as Spencer Surles and Colin Welch reached sound victories in their matches, winning 8-1 and 8-2 respectively. The strong showing continued in the singles session as Capital would go on to win all six outings, with each ending in straight sets. Surles and Stevens dominated in their matches, seceding only two points in one set and shutting out their opponents in the other. Askew was forced to an overtime session to decide his second set, ultimately winding up with a 9-3 point advantage and winning the set 7-6, and the game two sets to none. Welch, Stout, and Abreu all turned in solid performances in their individual bouts, bolstering the team to finish off the competition, 9-0.


QUOTES FROM COACH CODY HURLEY
"Today was a great day for our program. We came down to the wire against another tough opponent. We had some opportunities to pull off the comeback, but just fell short."

"We finished our trip with a dominant sweep against Penn State Behrend."

"Leonardo Abreu, Spencer Surles, and Aaron Askew all shined today in Singles picking up multiple wins."

"We will continue to trust the process and work to improve every single day. We are on the track and I look forward to see what we can accomplish as we head into conference play."


UP NEXT
Capital will get a ten-day break to recuperate as they return to Ohio. The next match, against Lourdes University, will take place on the 20th of March in Sylvania. First serve is set for 12 p.m. EST.