Bolivar, Mo. — Southwest Baptist University's men's tennis team competed against the University of Saint Mary (USM) on Wednesday afternoon, nearly sweeping the Spires with a 6-1 victory. The match marks SBU's first win of the year and puts them at 1-2 for the season.
 
In doubles action, Oliver Kocanovic and Alexandru Marinescu in the #1 spot fell to USM in a close 6-4 match. Alejandro Beneyto Sanchez and Juani Morresi in the #2 spot nearly swept their match with a final score of 6-1. Federico Riolo and Romain Ramuz rounded out the doubles matches with a 6-3 win to earn the Bearcats their first point of the day.
 
In singles action, the Bearcats held their ground. Beneyto Sanchez in the #1 spot defeated his opponent in two matches (6-3, 6-1). In the #2 spot, Riolo lost his first match but picked up the following two and a point for the Bearcats (1-6, 7-5, 1-0). While Evan Maritz for USM defeated Marinescu in the #3 spot (5-7, 5-7), the Bearcats in the #4, #5, and #6 spots won each of their matches in two sets. Morresi went 6-0, 6-2. Ramuz followed suit with a 6-4, 6-1 victory, and Kocanovic rounded out the day with a 6-0, 6-1 win to clinch the Bearcat victory.

SBU men's tennis returns to action in Bolivar on Friday, February 20 at 10 a.m. to face off against Emporia State University. To stay up-to-date with SBU men's tennis and SBU Athletics as a whole, visit sbubearcats.com.