Box Score in PDF Format

ORANGE, Calif. -- Ending a four-match skid in convincing fashion, the 30th-ranked Christopher Newport men's tennis team traveled to Chapman University on Thursday afternoon and captured an 8-1 victory over the Panthers. The only loss on the day came down to the wire, and CNU raced away with the win, improving to 4-5 on the season. 

With the loss, Chapman starts the year with a 1-3 record. The Captains picked up their first win on their annual Spring Break trip to California, and will close out the cross-country venture on Friday against the University of Redlands. 

In the match, CNU got two wins apiece from seniors Justin Cerny and David Reed, who played together for an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles. Reed won on the top line in singles and Cerny picked up another win at No. 2.  Sophomores Andy Mason, Dominic Lacombe, and junior Nicholas Ruzicka also added two wins each. 

In doubles play, the Captains swept the Panthers to take a 3-0 lead in the match. After Cerny and Reed made quick work of Jacob Lee and Troy Manditch on the top line, Mason and William Trang added an 8-3 win at No. 3. The second line was more competitive, as Lacombe and Ruzicka needed one extra point to squeeze out a 9-7 win over Matthew Mead and Len Kamemoto. 

The Captains turned to singles needing just two matches to win and quickly secured the team victory with straight set victories from 2-5. Cerny won over Kamemoto (6-2, 6-1); Mason over Manditch at No. 3 (6-4, 6-2); Ruzicka against Brock DeHaven at No. 4 (6-4, 6-2); and Lacombe versus Igor Belineliat No. 5 (6-2, 6-2). 

The match decided, Reed bounced back after a tight opening set loss to capture his No. 1 bout win over Jacob Lee. He finished off a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 10-5 win to improve to 9-8 overall this season. 

Cerny's singles win was the 49th of his career and is seeking to become just the 12th player in program history to reach the 50-win milestone.  

The Captains will round out their trip to the Golden State against No. 13 Redlands on Friday at 1:00 pm.