ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- The #28 SBU men's tennis team earned their first win of the spring season, as they defeated the Statesmen of Delta State, 6-3, before narrowly dropping the third match of the weekend to NAIA nationally-ranked Oklahoma Christian, 5-4.

Marton Zsiga and Jorge Margiotta each took their singles matches in three sets to give SBU an early advantage. Zsiga fought through and claimed a hard-fought first set, 7-6, before falling in the second (4-6) and winning the final set, 6-3.

Margiotta, a sophomore from Coronel Secarez, Argentina, came back in his match after dropping the opening set, 6-2. Margiotta won the following two sets, 6-3, 6-4 to claim the victory over Cristian Garcia. SBU won four of the six singles matches, as Jorge Palacios and Tyler Welch each won their matches from the fifth and sixth spots in straight sets. Palacios and Welch won their doubles match as well,  The doubles pair of Domingos Carissimo and Brandon Finerty clinched the win against the Statesmen with an 8-4 victory over Alexandre and Guillame Waeters, after the brothers defeated Carissimo and Finerty in singles play earlier.

SBU fell to Oklahoma Christian later that weekend by a 5-4 score. The Eagles took four singles matches, all in straight sets. Zsiga took the opening match over Thomas Van Cauter, 6-3, 7-6, on Zsiga's birthday. Carissimo defeated Etienne Leite in the only match that went three sets, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. The Bearcats did take two of the three doubles' contests, as Carissimo/Finerty and Welch/Palacios each won by a score of 8-6.

The Bearcats' record moved to 1-3 in the early season, as they prepare for three matches at Cameron University in Lawton, Okla. SBU will face Cameron, Midwestern State, and East Central on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6.