NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Playing at home on a brisk Saturday on the James T. and Sarah C. Eyre Courts, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport men's tennis team improved to 8-6 overall with a perfect 2-0 start to Capital Athletic Conference play. CNU shut out Southern Virginia to hand the Knights their first loss of the season, and also blanked Frostburg State on Saturday. 

First, against the previously undefeated Southern Virginia Knights (11-1, 1-1), the Captains would surged out to a 3-0 lead with a dominant run through doubles. The top tandem for CNU, David Reed and Justin Cerny, won 8-2 over Tanner O'Brien and T.J. Snelson. CNU also won, 8-1, at No. 2 behind Andy Mason and William Trang as they took down Paul Monson and Ben Spencer. The No. 3 matchup was decided, 8-3, as Dominic Lacombe and Nicholas Ruzicka continued their dominant run this season with the victory over Andrew Blonquist and Zac Bowers. Lacombe and Ruzicka are now 6-1 in No. 3 doubles matches this season. 

The starting lineup against the Knights fought off a valiant effort, but closed out each match for the 9-0 shutout. Reed captured a win at No. 1 singles over Monson (6-1, 6-3), and Cerny earned a hard-fought win at No. 2 over Spencer (6-3, 7-6 (2)). CNU managed straight set victories at 3, 5, and 6 with Mason, Lacombe, and Trang picking up the wins. 

In the second match of the day, head coach Eric Christiansen shifted the lineup and the Captains cruised to the 9-0 win over the Bobcats (1-7, 0-3). Rookies Mitch Brody, Bryce Coleman, and Walter Buck all made their collegiate dual debuts, while senior Dillon Sykes also made his first appearance in the lineup this season. 

In doubles, Brody and Lacombe paired together for a shutout win on the top line over Shasta Braithwaite and Chad O'Neal (8-0). Coleman teamed up with Alex Johnson for an 8-2 win at No. 2 doubles, downing Aaron Beckner and Nate Farlow, while Buck and Sykes managed an 8-3 win at No. 3 over Joey Cox and Derek Thompson. 

The Captains' singles lineup made quick work of the Bobcats, dropping only four combined in matches 2-6. The top line featured William Trang against Braithwaite with the Captains' junior capturing a 6-1, 7-5 win. After that, CNU suffered just one game loss in Brody's win at No. 2 (6-1, 6-0), two in Coleman's victory at No. 3 (6-0, 6-2), and one in Johnson's victory at No. 4 (6-1, 6-0). 

Sykes had an impressive return during individual play, downing Steve Glasbrenner without dropping a game (6-0, 6-0). Walter Buck's first career singles match finished in similar fashion, as the rookie defeated Justin Davis by the same score. 

With the wins, CNU improved to 8-6 overall, 2-0 in CAC action. The 36th-ranked Captains will return to action on Sunday against No. 16 Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. That match will begin at 2:30 pm.