MONROEVILLE, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's tennis team came out on top in a 5-2 decision on Sunday against St. Bonaventure at The Club Sport and Health in Monroeville.  The Red Flash swept the doubles action and won four singles matches.  SFU improved to 8-4 this season, while St. Bonaventure dropped to 3-8.
 
Sophomore Alec Dylan Foo-Kune (Phoenix, Mauritius/International Connections Academy (Md.)) and senior Washi Gervais (Longueuil, Quebec/College Stanislas) competed at No. 1 against Victor Blanco and Eduardo Irizarry.  The Red Flash duo earned a 6-2 win to improve to 10-2 this spring.
 
Junior Plamen Avuski (Plovdiv, Bulgaria /Math High School ) and freshman Jan Vit Suntar (Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia/Gimnazija Kranj) matched up at the second spot against Carlos de La Cruz and Hector Martinez.  The SFU pair claimed a 6-3 victory to move to 9-3 in dual matches.
 
At No. 3, junior Eli Cerdan (Bloomfield, N.J. /Saint Mary High School) and freshman Robin van der Heijden (Burgh Haamstede, Netherlands/Scheldmond College) battled Mitchell McGuirt and Miki Nobuzawa.  Cerdan and van der Heijden won 6-4 to complete the doubles sweep for Saint Francis.

"This was a good performance for our guys. St. Bonaventure is a team that always fights hard," said Head Coach Rob Castille. "I have a great deal of respect for their program and their coach. I knew we needed to come with a great effort today in order to get the win. We set the tone in doubles and carried that momentum into singles."
 
Gervais matched up at the top singles spot against Irizarry.  The Red Flash senior won a tough opening set, 7-6, including a 7-5 tiebreaker.  He completed the two-set sweep with a 6-3 second set to improve to 9-3 this spring.
 
At the No. 4 spot, Avuski competed against the Bonnies' Nobuzawa.  The SFU junior claimed the opening set, 6-2.  He repeated his performance in the next set, winning 6-2.  He is now 7-3 in dual matches.
 
In the matchup at No. 5, van der Heijden battled SBU's McGuirt.  In a tough first set, van der Heijden came out on top, 7-6, with a 7-5 tiebreaker.  The next set was just as tight, with van der Heijden winning 7-5.  He moved to 4-3 this spring.
 
Cerdan took on de La Cruz at the sixth singles position.  The Red Flash junior dominated the first set, winning 6-0.  He clinched a straight-set win with a 6-2 second set.  Cerdan improved to 6-4 in dual matches.
 
At No. 2, Foo-Kune matched up against St. Bonaventure's Blanco.  After falling 7-6(3) in the first set, Foo-Kune responded by winning the second set, 6-3.  In the deciding set, Blanco won 6-3.
 
Suntar faced Martinez at No. 3.  The SFU rookie won the first set, 6-3, but Martinez took the second set, 6-4.  However, in the final set, Martinez won 6-3.

"We still need to deal with adversity better in order to become a team that is capable of competing for a championship," said Castille.  "This is something I will address in practice these next two weeks and we will look to apply this in our next match."
 
The Red Flash returns to action on Friday, March 25 against Duquesne.  The match starts at 1 p.m. at Alpha Tennis and Fitness in Harmar, Pa.
 
Doubles:
1. Foo-Kune/Gervais(SFU) def. Blanco/Irizarry(SBU), 6-2.
2. Avuski/Suntar(SFU) def. de La Cruz/Martinez(SBU), 6-3.
3. Cerdan/van der Heijden(SFU) def. McGuirt/Nobuzawa(SBU), 6-4.
Order of Finish: 1,2,3
 
Singles:
1. Gervais(SFU) def. Irizarry(SBU), 7-6(5), 6-3.
2. Blanco(SBU) def. Foo-Kune(SFU), 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3.
3. Martinez(SBU) def. Suntar(SFU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
4. Avuski(SFU) def. Nobuzawa(SBU), 6-2, 6-2.
5. van der Heijden(SFU) def. McGuirt(SBU), 7-6(5), 7-5.
6. Cerdan(SFU) def. de La Cruz(SBU), 6-0, 6-2.
Order of Finish: 1,3,2,4,6,5