WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – The Citadel men's tennis team closed out the month of February with a 6-1 win over Fairmont State on Saturday afternoon.

Match Information
Location: White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (The Greenbrier)
Final Score: The Citadel 6, Fairmont State 1
Records: The Citadel (3-11), FSU (0-1)

Match Rundown

• Fairmont State jumped out to an early 1-0 lead by taking the doubles point behind victories at No. 1 and No. 3, but sophomores Phillip Quinn and Josiah Schainblatt helped the 'Dogs avoid the sweep with an 8-5 win at No. 2 doubles.
• The Bulldogs won the match with a clean sweep of singles action, including four in straight sets.
• At No. 1, Will Graham earned his first-ever No. 1 singles win with a 6-4, 7-6 win over Joao Lucas Alves.
• Quinn made it a 2-0 week with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Bartosz Losiak at No. 2 singles.
• Freshman Zvonko Bencedic earned a hard-fought, three-set match at No. 3. Bencedic won the first set 6-2, fell 6-2 to Guilherme Pachane in the second set, and bounced back to claim the point with a 6-3 win in the final set.
• At No. 4 singles, senior Jack Pyritz won in straight sets with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Joao Martins.
• Schainblatt secured his first singles win of the season, second in his career, with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5 over Valentino Klett.
• Freshman Leo du Plooy rounded out the day with his first career win in singles action. Du Plooy bounced back from a 7-5 loss in the first set to win the point with matching 7-6, 7-6 victories in the final two sets.

Match Results
Doubles
1. Guilherme Pachane / Bartosz Losiak (Fairmont State) def. Will Graham / Zvonko Bencedic (The Citadel) 8-4
2. Phillip Quinn / Josiah Schainblatt (The Citadel) def. Joao Martins / Valentino Klett (Fairmont State) 8-5
3. Joao Lucas Alves / Tom Liddy (Fairmont State) def. Josh Wallen / Jack Pyritz (The Citadel) 8-5

Singles
1. Graham (CIT) def. Alves (FSU) 6-4, 7-6
2. Quinn (CIT) def. Losiak (FSU) 6-2, 6-3
3. Bencedic (CIT) def. Pachane (FSU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
4. Pyritz (CIT) def. Martins (FSU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Josiah Schainblatt (CIT) def. Klett (FSU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Leo du Plooy (CIT) def. Liddy (FSU) 5-7, 7-6, 7-6

QUOTABLES FROM COACH KRIESE
"I am very proud of the guys and they way they responded in singles after losing the doubles point to a big-hitting, well-coached Fairmont State team. We kept in the moment, and fought off a lot of adversity. We needed this win. The guys have been playing tough for a couple weeks. What makes it better is that we had a couple guys out, and Josiah and Leo stepped up and got their first wins of the year. So proud of those men. This was a total team effort and each guy trusted each other. The symmetry of belief and trust goes a long way. We will try to keep it going."

UP NEXT
The Citadel will next open the month of March with the first four home matches of the season. The 'Dogs will welcome Campbell to the Earle Tennis Center on Wednesday, March 4 with Methodist coming to town on Friday, March 6 for a doubleheader. The week will conclude with a Southern Conference match against Samford on Sunday, March 8.

JOIN THE CITADEL BRIGADIER FOUNDATION
Membership in The Citadel Brigadier Foundation is open to alumni and friends of The Citadel who are interested in supporting Bulldog athletics. By joining, you provide annual charitable contributions that fund scholarships for cadet-student-athletes. Supporters interested in joining TCBF or for more information, please click HERE.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information and score updates on The Citadel men's tennis team, please visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelMten on Twitter and @CitadelSports on Twitter and Instagram.