Box Score in HTML Format
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- With a 5-1 win over #3-seed Salisbury University on Tuesday afternoon, the 35th-ranked Christopher Newport men's tennis team punched their ticket to a third consecutive appearance in the Capital Athletic Conference Championship. The #2-seeded Captains cruised to the win in the CAC Semifinal match on a breezy, but sunny day at the Eyre Courts on the campus of Christopher Newport.
A well-balanced effort showcased the Captains' depth in the CAC Semifinal win, as six different players combined for the five team points. Junior
David Reed is the only player who won two matches, picking up the win at No. 1 doubles and No. 1 singles.
Reed paired with
Justin Cerny to breeze by their opponents at 1 doubles, picking up an 8-0 shutout win over Patrick MacLean and Colt Williamson. The Captains would take a 2-1 lead after pairs play when
Michael Dodd and
Arttu Fiva earned an 8-1 win at No. 3 doubles. In the No. 2 bout, Salisbury earned their lone point of the day with an 8-4 win from Matthew Ryan and Ian Siew.
Into singles action, the Captains quickly wrapped up the win with wins at 1, 4, and 6. Rookie
Dominic Lacombe earned the clinching victory at No. 4 singles, defeating Grant Hudson (6-3, 6-3) and sending CNU to their third straight conference title match.
Nicholas Ruzicka won at No. 6, defeating Andrew Rainger (6-1, 6-1), and Reed opened up the individual actoin with a win over Williamson (6-2, 6-2).
The remaining three singles matches were abandoned after the team score had been clinched in favor of the Captains. Cerny (No. 2),
Andy Mason (No. 3), and
William Trang (No. 5) all earned first set victories before their matches ended unfinished.
Since joining the Capital Atheltic Conference in 2013-14, the Captains have faced Salisbury in the semifinals all four years, improving now to 3-1 in those matchups. The Captains will be looking for the program's first conference title with their opponent to be determined.
CNU will advance to play the winner of the other semifinal matchup, set to be played on Wednesday at top-seeded Mary Washington. The fifth-seeded York (Pa.) Spartans will look to upset the Eagles at 3:30 pm on Wednesday. The winning team will advance to face CNU on Saturday, April 22 with the higher seed remaining set to host.
