NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Freshman
Ryan Macy picked up two wins, including the match-clinching singles victory, as the third-seeded Christopher Newport men's tennis team sailed into the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals with a 5-0 shutout over sixth-seeded York College of Pennsylvania (8-10). The Captains improved to 11-8 after the tournament victory and will advance to face the winner of the #2 Salisbury/#7 Penn State Harrisburg matchup which will be played on Saturday.
Playing indoors in Newport News after a hefty rainstorm slashed through town just before the match was scheduled to begin, the Captains quickly raced out to a 3-0 lead on the courts at the James River Country Club. After sweeping doubles, CNU finished the match with wins at No. 3 and No. 5 singles to clinch the team victory.
In doubles action, regionally-ranked
Andy Mason and
Ryan Macy cruised to an 8-1 win over Sam Innerst and Joel Hess at the No. 1 slot. The CNU tandem at No. 3 won by the same score as
James Baron and
Mitch Brody disposed of Justin Rose and Tyler Richard. Finally, the Captains senior duo of
Nicholas Ruzicka and
William Trang won, 8-3, against Ben Sentz and Lukas Olson at No. 2 doubles. Ruzicka and Trang picked up their 12th win as a pairing while improving to 7-3 over the lats ten matches.
Moving into singles, the Captains took quick leads in all five matches, but it was a pair of rookies that clinched their first ever CAC Tournament win.
Mason Kolls picked up the fourth team point with a 6-1, 6-0 win against Josiah Forry at No. 5 before
Ryan Macy clinched the match against Joel Hess at No. 3, 6-0, 6-0.
Macy and Kolls continue to lead the Captains as first-year players with 14 wins apiece. Macy is now 14-8 with a 12-5 record in duals while Kolls, playing at four different positions, is 14-9 to tie for the team lead in singles victories.
CNU now advances to the CAC Semifinals where they will either travel to second-seeded Salisbury or host seventh-seeded Penn State Harrisburg. That match will be played at a time to be determined on Tuesday, April 30. Prior to that matchup, the Captains will play the regular season finale at home against Washington & Lee at 11:00 am on Sunday, April 28.
