WINGATE, N.C. - The Newberry College men's tennis team won its third consecutive match Thursday, drilling South Atlantic Conference rival Wingate University, 8-1. The win moves Newberry to 5-4 overall, but more importantly 2-0 in SAC action. The Bulldogs fell to 6-7, 2-2 in conference play.

Following the path that led to success in their last two matches - wins over No. 38 Ferris State and Brevard - the Indians began the contest by gaining an upper hand in doubles competition.

Daryl Van Vuuren (Durban, South Africa) and reigning SAC Player of the Week Jeremy Smith (Durban, South Africa) took an 8-4 decision over Jose Valarezo and Braeden Patchell, which was followed by Maxim Sukharev (Vilnius, Lithuania) and Lucas Mattos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) dropping Mitchell Lvovsky and Brendan Molan by the same 8-4 score.

Felipe Sobrinho (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Mikael Jurkovic (Atlanta, Ga.) put the Indians firmly in control with an 8-4 victory over Louis Villarroel and Arik Bartlett in the third pairs match.

Wingate would regain a measure of momentum in the top flight singles match, as Lvovsky took a 6-1, 6-4 decision from Sukharev. But the Indians would regain control and seal the deal with a pair of epic comeback wins.

The march to victory started with Van Vuuren rallying past Valarezo, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. The win is Van Vuuren's second in a row after losing his first seven singles matches of the season. Fellow South African Smith also dropped his opening set, but clinched the team victory with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over  Patchell.

With the victory already in hand, the Indians showed no mercy and dominated the final three singles matches. Lucas Mattos scored his fourth consecutive singles win by beating Villarroel, 6-2, 6-0, and fellow Brazilian Sobrinho was just as hostile to Bartlett, winning 6-0, 6-4. Jurkovic ended the match with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Molan.

Now over .500 for the first time this season, the Indians will enjoy the fruits of their labor for the next two weeks, as their next match is scheduled for Saturday, April 5. Newberry will face Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., at 2:30 p.m.
Newberry sports information student assistant, Rob Walden, a senior from Woodruff, S.C., wrote this article