HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata men's tennis team picked up their first win of the year as they beat visiting Eastern, 5-4, Wednesday afternoon at Raffensburger Tennis Courts.
In doubles, Martin Munoz and Utsav Deravariya won 8-0 at first doubles, and Axel Chabbert, along with Ezenna Emuka, won 8-4 at third doubles. Dillon Murphy and Kyle Louder fell 8-2 at second doubles.
Munoz continued his strong day with a decisive 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles. Murphy won 6-3, 6-3 at fourth singles, while Emuka won 6-1, 6-1 at sixth singles. Deravariya lost a nailbiter at second singles, 6-3, 7-6, 7-5, while Chabbert fell 6-3, 6-4 at third singles, and Louder fell 6-1, 6-0 at fifth singles.
The win is the first for head coach Nick Margiasso, who, after the match, said, "This new era of the tennis program was always going to be a process. I asked the student-athletes to trust me, trust in themselves, and trust in the energy this campus community and athletic staff bring out today and every day, and they ended up having their best performance of the season so far — guys and ladies both. Now they've moved past that early season fear; they're believing now and growing into something better than ever."
The Eagles have a quick turnaround as they take on Penn College Thursday at 2:00.
