FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Competing in the first ever Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, the Christopher Newport men's tennis team suffered a 5-3 defeat to second-seeded Southern Virginia on Friday afternoon. The Captains battled against the upstart Knights, flipping the doubles score from the regular season matchup, but ultimately succumbed to a semifinal setback in singles action. 

The Captains closed out a second consecutive abbreviated season due to the COVID-19 pandemic with just 12 matches played. CNU finished the year with a 6-6 overall record while Southern Virginia earned the program's first ever appearance in the conference championship while improving to 11-5 on the season. 

When the two teams matched up way back in early March for the regular season bout, the Knights jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles. On Friday, CNU looked to shift momentum their way by flipping the script and taking the 2-1 advantage themselves after tandem action. All three matches were tight, but it was CNU who captured wins at No. 1 and No. 3 to take the lead. 

Ryan Macy and Alec Strause earned an 8-6 win over Marcos Dias and Daniel Blonquist on the top line. The other victory went to Tyler Hyun and Scotty Hunter by the same score at No. 3, downing Paul Monson and Benton Drake. 

In singles play, however, the Knights rebounded and narrowly edged the Captains with several close matches. CNU earned another point at No. 6 singles where rookie Eddy Porsmyr Hansen defeated Drake (6-2, 6-3), and Southern Virginia earned straight set wins at 1 and 2 to tie the match at 3-3. The semifinal then turned in favor of the Knights in a pair of three-set victories at 4 and 5.

Hyun won the first set against Blonquist at No. 4, but could not regain footing in the second and third set where SVU picked up a 2-6, 6-0, 6-0 win. Macy battled hard at No. 5 singles against Monson, earning a 6-2 win in the second set, but Monson won for Southern Virginia by a final score of 6-1, 2-6, 6-1. 

The No. 3 singles match went unfinished where Alec Strause and Tanner Bassett were locked in another tight match. The pair split 6-2 sets to start and were back-and-forth through the third when the decision went final.