NEWBERRY - Against a shorthanded Belmont Abbey men's tennis squad, Newberry cruised to a 9-0 victory with seniors Vinicius Botelho and Michael Saunders picking up wins in singles and doubles action.

Newberry (2-1) took an early lead over the visiting Crusaders (0-2) in doubles play as senior Jeffery Kiser (Newberry, S.C.) and sophomore Fernando Espana (Madrid, Spain) were credited with a victory at No. 3 doubles as Belmont Abbey conceded the match by forfeit.

No. 1 doubles saw Saunders (Christchurch, New Zealand) and Botelho (Fortaleza, Brazil) earn an 8-1 win over Juan Baez and Conner McMann, while senior David Sons (Lexington, S.C.) and junior Mohammed Chakir (Rabat, Morocco) emerged victorious by the same score line over Eduardo Escobar and Idris Moya at No. 2.

Singles play saw Newberry take a 4-0 lead as Sons was credited with a victory at No. 6 singles as the Crusaders forfeited the individual match.

Saunders found himself in a tight first set, before edging McMann in the first set and winning the second set convincingly to earn a straight sets victory. Botelho toppled Baez in two sets at No. 2, while Espana dropped only one game in his straight sets win over Escobar at No. 3.

Junior Carlos Nicolopulos (Valencia, Venezuela) led by a set over Moya, before Moya was forced to retire and gave Nicolopulos a victory. The final match of the day saw Kiser win in straight sets over Jacob Melton at No. 5 singles.

Newberry continues a short stand at home on Tuesday as No. 21 USC Aiken travels to Newberry for a 1 p.m. start. The Pacers are also ranked No. 7 in the Southeast Region.