BOX SCORE Flash Points:

• SFU Men's Tennis earned its second NEC win of the Spring with a 5-2 victory over Sacred Heart.
• The Red Flash dropped the doubles point, but won five singles matches.
• Charles Morkel (Cape Town, South Africa/Paul Roos Gymnasium) and Jan Vit Suntar (Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia/Gimnazija Kranj) combined for a doubles win and earned singles victories.
• The Red Flash is 4-9 overall and will travel to FDU and Wagner for NEC matches next weekend.

MONROEVILLE, Pa. – The Saint Francis Men's Tennis team won its second straight NEC match, picking up a 5-2 win over Sacred Heart on Friday at The Club Sport and Health in Monroeville.  The Red Flash dropped the doubles point, but bounced back to win five singles matches.  SFU improved to 4-9 overall and 2-0 in the NEC, while Sacred Heart dropped to 3-9 overall.
 
In the match at No. 3 doubles, sophomore Eduardo Garcia (Toluca, Mexico/Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico) and freshman Charles Morkel (Cape Town, South Africa/Paul Roos Gymnasium) battled the Pioneers' Francisco Del Valle and Chris Sause.  In their first match as a pair this Spring, Garcia and Morkel came out on top, 6-1.
 
At the top doubles position, senior Alec Dylan Foo-Kune (Phoenix, Mauritius/International Connections Academy (Md.)) and junior Jan Vit Suntar (Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia/Gimnazija Kranj) combined against SHU's Derek Chapman and Seiji Hosokowa.  However, the SFU pair fell 6-4.
 
The doubles point came down to the match at No. 2 between SFU sophomore Franz Luna (Guatemala City, Guatemala/Laurel Springs) and freshman Sebastian Pinos (Quito, Ecuador/Compuinformatica) against Sacred Heart's Bryan Einstoss and Cory Seltman.  In a tight match, Luna and Pinos fell 7-6, including 7-4 in the tiebreaker.  Luna and Pinos are 7-6 this Spring.

"In doubles, we are still trying to find the best combinations," said Head Coach Rob Castille. "And with Charlie and JV coming back from their injuries, we changed two of the pairings up today. I thought we did some good things but we definitely were a little out of sync at times and Sacred Heart took advantage and played some doubles to win the point."
 
In the match at the top singles position, Luna took on SHU's Hosokowa.  In a tight first set, Luna came out on top, 7-6, with a 7-4 win in the tiebreaker.  The SFU sophomore dominated the second set, 6-0, to complete the sweep.  Luna improved to 7-6 this Spring.
 
At No. 2, Foo-Kune met Sacred Heart's Chapman.  The SFU senior took the first set, 6-3, but dropped the next set, 6-3.  In the final set, Foo-Kune came out on top, 6-2.  He is now 7-5 in dual matches.
 
Pinos battled the Pioneers' Einstoss at No. 3.  The Red Flash rookie dominated the opening set, winning 6-0.  He completed the straight-set victory with a 6-2 second set to pick up his fifth win of the Spring.
 
Morkel took on SHU's Seltman at No. 4.  The SFU freshman claimed the first set, 6-2.  He completed the sweep with a 6-2 win in the next set.  Morkel is now 2-3 this Spring.
 
Garcia met the Pioneers' Sause at the fifth spot.  However, the SFU sophomore fell 6-1, 6-2. 
 
At No. 6, Suntar competed against SHU's Del Valle.  The SFU junior took the first set, 6-2, but dropped the next set, 6-4.  In the deciding super-tiebreaker set, Suntar earned a 10-7 victory.  It was Suntar's first singles match of the season after coming back from an injury.

"I was pleased to see how we responded in singles as I know we were all disappointed in the doubles result," said Castille. "Sacred Heart is a scrappy team and I knew we all had to compete well to get the four points we needed in singles. I don't think everyone played their best but overall, everyone competed hard. And that's something we've been stressing. We needed to win matches when when we're not playing our best and I think that we've gotten better at that over the past month. We have two big conference matches next weekend so we'll focus on a few things this week and be ready for two battles."
 
The Red Flash continues NEC play next weekend with a pair of matches.  Saint Francis will travel to Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, March 31 at 6 p.m. SFU will visit Wagner on Sunday, April 1 for a Noon match.
 
Doubles:
1. Chapman/Hosokowa(SHU) def. Foo-Kune/Suntar(SFU), 6-4.
2. Einstoss/Seltman(SHU) def. Luna/Pinos(SFU), 7-6(4).
3. Morkel/Garcia(SFU) def. Del Valle/Sause(SHU), 6-1.
Order of Finish: 3,1,2
 
Singles:
1. Luna(SFU) def. Hosokowa(SHU), 7-6(4), 6-0.
2. Foo-Kune(SFU) def. Chapman(SHU), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
3. Pinos(SFU) def. Einstoss(SHU), 6-0, 6-2.
4. Morkel(SFU) def. Seltman(SHU), 6-2, 6-2.
5. Sause(SHU) def. Garcia(SFU), 6-1, 6-2.
6. Suntar(SFU) def. Del Valle(SHU), 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(7).
Order of Finish: 3,1,2,4,5,6