VIRGINIA BEACH -- It was a productive Saturday for the Virginia Wesleyan College men's tennis team, but a rough one for the Marlin women.
The men posted back-to-back victories, stunning perennial power Salisbury University 6-3 before dominating Drew University 7-2. The Marlin women were slowed by injuries in a 9-0 loss to Salisbury and fell 9-0 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference competition to Roanoke College with a revamped line-up, all at the Everett Center.
The Marlin men won swept the first four singles positions against Salisbury, including a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 thriller by rookie Drew Tomajczyk (Chesterfield/Home schooled) at No. 2 over Eric Spangler (Clinton, Md./Grace Brethren Christian). Against Drew, the Marlins won five of the six singles slots, highlighted by a 6-2, 6-1 win by Spencer Bullock (Lorton/South County) at No. 3 over junior Vin Mahon (Toms River, N.J./North).
In doubles competition, Virginia Wesleyan won at the No. 1 and No. 3 flights in both matches. Rookie Graham Wilson (Newport News/Menchville) teamed with Tomajczyk to win at the No. 1 spot twice, while Lawrence Hunter (Fredericksburg/Chancellor) and Tyler Chang (Hvre de Grace, Md./Tome School) took two at No. 3, including an 8-1 decision over Drew's Derek McMullen (Nutley, N.J./Nutley) and Scott Vander Veen (Sparta, N.J./Sparta).
In the women's play against Salisbury, rookieTori Ryherd (El Paso, Texas/Loretto Academy) turned in a strong effort against Elania Iosue (Damascus, Md./Damascus), but fell 6-4, 7-5 at the No. 3 flight.
Lauren Brooker (Wake Forest, N.C./Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons) and Sara Yousif (Waxhaw, N.C./Charlotte Manus Academy) dropped a pair of close doubles matches at No.1. They fell 8-5 to Salisbury and 9-7 to Roanoke. Hannah Parent (Port Tobacco, Md./Indian Head Lackey) and Stephanie Bittner (Westminster, Md./Francis Scott Key) also fell in a tight match to Roanoke, 8-5, at No. 3.
Virginia Wesleyan's teams return to competition on Monday, March 11, hosting Maryland's Washington College at 3 p.m. at The Everett Center.
Results: