NEWPORT NEWS -- As the temperature and the doubles pressure climbed, Christopher Newport's men's tennis team responded with aplomb to earn a rain-shortened 6-1 home victory Thursday over Washington College.

The Captains, ranked 10th in the Atlantic South Region, gained their second straight victory and improved to 3-6.

The regionally 13th-ranked Shoremen, from Chestertown, Md., fell to 2-2 -- their other loss came the previous day, a 9-0 setback at USA South favorite/top-10 national power North Carolina Wesleyan.

The thermometer climbed to the mid-80s, a Peninsula record for March 15.

CNU's Matt King and Eric Shulman, ranked fourth nationally in doubles, faced a 5-3 deficit against Marc Cywinski and Vishnu Rajes. But the Captains' top pair claimed the momentum and surged to an 8-5 victory.

At No. 2 doubles, CNU's Gian Heyer and Joey Manilla took a 5-2 advantage, going two service breaks ahead, but Washington's Kyle Lisco and Kevin Papen pulled even at 5. A late service break made the difference for Heyer and Manilla, providing an 8-6 CNU victory and a 2-0 team margin.

At No. 3, the match pitted CNU's Robbie Wagner and Kyle Tobin against the Shoremen's Dan Boate and Andrew Laux. It went with serve until 5-all, when Washington broke Wagner. But CNU broke right back for 6-all.

With the score at 7-all, Wagner held serve from love-30 down. CNU then registered the decisive break to sweep the doubles trifecta.

At 30-all, Wagner laced a forehand down-the-line winner for 30-40. CNU never needed to hit another ball, as a Washington second serve into the net for a double fault ended the pro-set.

Given the momentum, the Captains controlled most of the singles matches.

Shulman, Heyer and Manilla won in straight sets in the lineup's upper half, ensuring the Captains of the triumph. Lisco, at No. 5, gained Washington's only victory.

In the other two singles matches, No. 4 Wagner and No. 6 Will Sloan of CNU led by one set and were deep into competitive second sets when a storm hit, prompting the participants to head for cover and ending the contest.

CNU will return to its home courts Saturday for a 1 p.m. match against USA South opponent Greensboro College.

Singles competition 
1. SHULMAN, Eric (CNUM) def. Kevin Papen (WC) 6-4, 6-1 
2. HEYER, Gianandrea (CNUM) def. Vishnu Rajes (WC) 6-2, 6-2 
3. MANILLA, Joey (CNUM) def. Dan Boate (WC) 6-1, 6-2 
4. WAGNER, Robbie (CNUM) vs. Marc Cywinski (WC) 6-3, 4-4, unfinished 
5. Kyle Lisco (WC) def. TOBIN, Kyle (CNUM) 6-4, 6-2 
6. SLOAN, Will (CNUM) vs. Andrew Laux (WC) 6-1, 4-5, unfinished 

Doubles competition 
1. KING, Matt/SHULMAN, Eric (CNUM) def. Marc Cywinski/Vishnu Rajes (WC) 8-5 
2. HEYER, Gianandrea/MANILLA, Joey (CNUM) def. Kyle Lisco/Kevin Papen (WC) 8-6 
3. TOBIN, Kyle/WAGNER, Robbie (CNUM) def. Dan Boate/Andrew Laux (WC) 9-7