Dukes Cruise Past Norfolk State and Wayne State

Thursday, March 8

Orlando, Fla.

8:45 a.m.

James Madison University

Norfolk State

3/8/2018 12:01:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

ORLANDO, Fla. – James Madison men's tennis finished its spring break trip with an unbeaten record, recording victories Thursday against Norfolk State and Wayne State.

The Dukes swept NSU 4-0 before defeating WSU 6-1 to improve to 12-2 on the season, their best start in over a decade.

Match 1: JMU 4, Norfolk State 0
Senior Theophile Lanthiez and sophomore Paul Mendoza opened doubles action at No. 1 with a 6-2 win, marking the pair's ninth win of the season. Freshman Alvaro Arce and junior Pierre Kohler clinched the doubles point in the No. 2 spot with a 6-1 victory.

Heading into singles action with the advantage, Mendoza tallied another win in the No. 1 spot with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Andres Alcaraz. Sophomore Damon Roberts picked up his third win in Orlando with a 6-1, 6-2 win against Dan Dumitrascu. Kohler clinched the match at No. 4, defeating NSU's Flavian Fernandez in straight sets – 6-3, 6-2.

Match 2: JMU 6, Wayne State 1
The Dukes opened their second match by conquering all three doubles matches to take the 1-0 lead against Wayne State. Arce and Kohler claimed a 6-1 win at No. 2 and the JMU claimed the double point with a 6-1 victory at No. 1 by Lanthiez and Mendoza. At No. 3, freshman Gonzalo Adis and sophomore Tate Steinour fought back from a 5-3 deficit to win in a tiebreak, 7-6(4).

JMU rounded out the trip by taking five of six singles matches. Adis took down Derek Sammons with a 6-3, 6-2 decision at No. 5. Roberts made it a 3-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 3 versus Griffin Mertz. Lanthiez secured JMU's perfect road trip with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph at No. 6 against Jason Potter.

QUOTING ASSISTANT COACH JASON SINKOFF
"Doubles this entire spring break were awesome. Our guys played with high energy and played really well at the net. Winning the doubles point in all five matches gave us a ton of momentum going into singles play. Heading into this trip, we knew that going 5-0 was a doable goal but that it would require playing efficiently at a high level and that's what happened in every match. We are excited for conference play and to get back to Harrisonburg to play at home. Go Dukes!"

UP NEXT
The Dukes will head to William & Mary for a Colonial Athletic Association matchup on Saturday, March 17 at 1 p.m. and will then host Mount St. Mary's in its first outdoor match at home on March 18 at 2 p.m.