Lions Advance to 9-3 on the Season

SAINT LEO, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Saint Leo men's tennis team took down its second nationally ranked opponent this week, edging No. 22 Southern Indiana by a score of 5-4 on Thursday afternoon as the Saint Leo Tennis Center.

The win advances the Lions to 9-3 on the season, while the Screaming Eagles drop to a mark of 9-4.

The Lions fell behind in doubles action after the Southern Indiana duo of Jack Joyce and Josh Walden defeated Aloua Adjenak and Fons Verberne, 8-4 at No. 2 doubles.  Saint Leo bounced back, picking up a win at No. 1 doubles as Matt Nicholoson-Lewis and Victor Lozier took down the tandem of Santiago Lopez and Joe Bray, 8-5.

Jacobo Gonzalez-Tarrio and Oskar Nurmio defeated Dimitri Stocker and Joel Stern, 9-7 at No. 3 doubles to give Saint Leo a 2-1 lead heading into singles play.

Verberne gave Saint Leo a 3-1 advantage by earning a quick 6-0, 6-0 victory over Stocker at No. 6 singles, followed by Nurmio defeating Bray, 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 3 position to pull the Lions ahead, 4-1.

Lozier finished next, earning a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 win over Walden at No. 4 singles to pull the Lions ahead, 5-1, but the Screaming Eagles were not about to back down.  Stern answered back at the No. 5 position, defeating Gonzalez-Tarrio 6-1, 3-6, 13-11, followed by Lopez defeating Adjenak at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, to set the score at 5-3.

Southern Indiana kept the fight alive at the No. 2 slot to close out the day as Joyce took down Nicholson-Lewis after a long battle, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).

The Saint Leo men's tennis team returns to action on Saturday, March 15, when they host NYIT at the Saint Leo Tennis Center.  Match time is set for 1 p.m.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo men's tennis team, be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.