For Immediate Release · By Justin Gordon · jpgordon@smcm.edu

St. Mary's City, Md. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland men's tennis team started their 2017-18 season Saturday afternoon with a convincing 9-0 non-conference victory over the Hood College Blazers.

St. Mary's 9, Hood 0

How It Happened

Doubles:

• St. Mary's established a 3-0 lead with a sweep of doubles action.
• Sophomores Jon Gorel (Jessup, Md./Hammond) and Ron Stith (Cheltenham, Md./Lackey) started their fall off with an 8-2 win over Hood's Alex Sexton and Michael Brady at No. 1 doubles.
• Senior captain James Loftis (Annapolis, Md./Saint Andrews [Del.]) and junior Jacob Bartholow (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville) picked up an impressive 8-1 win at No. 3 doubles.
• The senior duo of Connor McKissick (Leonardtown, Md./Leonardtown) and Kyle Van Winter (Scaggsville, Md./Good Counsel) followed their teammates with an 8-3 victory to complete the doubles sweep.

Singles:

• St. Mary's swept the competition in singles play, starting with McKissick dropping only one game at No. 3 singles in a straight-set win over Jordan Hahn.
• Gorel then took a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Sexton at No. 1 singles.
• Stith played the lone three-set match of the day but claimed a 3-6, 6-2, 10-5 win over Brady at No. 2 singles.
• Loftis, Van Winter, and Bartholow all beat their opponents in straight sets to help provide St. Mary's with the clean sweep of the Blazers.

Up Next for the Seahawks

• Sept. 17 at The Catholic University of America – Washington, D.C. – 12:00 p.m. 

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