Complete Box ScoreTHOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- For the third time this season and second straight match, the 37th-ranked Christopher Newport men's tennis team took down another nationally-ranked opponent. The 37th-ranked Captains (4-4) toppled No. 34 Cal Lutheran on their home courts Tuesday afternoon, 7-2.
CNU opened the season with a win over 22nd-ranked N.C. Wesleyan, and on Sunday, snuck past No. 38 Chapman University. CNU also dropped a tight matchup with 32nd-ranked Washington & Lee, 6-3, and was shut out by top-ranked and defending national champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 9-0. In eight matches this season, the Captains have faced five nationally-ranked Division III opponents, one more regionally-ranked Division III program, and two NCAA Division I foes.
The spring break trip to California was set to be challenging from the outset, but Christopher Newport has proven up to the task through the first three matches on the West Coast. CNU has two more matches scheduled before the end of the week, facing 15th-ranked Redlands on Friday, March 4, and then taking on Wabash College on Saturday, March 5.
In Tuesday's contest with the Kingsmen (1-3), the Captains cruised to a victory over the perennial power. CNU won five of six singles matchups, highlighted by a dominating performance at No. 6 by junior
Arttu Fiva, coasting to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Lucas Tilly.
CNU won at lines 2-6, getting straight set victories from
Justin Cerny,
Steven Boslet and
Nicholas Ruzicka. On line number four, senior
Chiraag Shetty won the first set 6-1, but was tested late before pulling out a 6-1, 6-7, 10-6 victory for the Captains. Cerny and Boslet each improved their team-leading win total to five this season, playing at No. 2 and 3, respectively.
In doubles play, Christopher Newport got out to a 2-1 lead by winning at Nos. 1 and 2. Boslet and Shetty paired together for a tight 9-7 win over Gio Valdez and Jesper Lunding-Johansson. In the second matchup, Cerny and
David Reed pulled away for a quick 8-1 victory over Chris Hartman and Tilly.
The Captains will return to the courts in Redlands, Calif. on Friday with match time set for 1:00 pm (PST).
