(Posted April 6, 2006)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. ? For the second time this season the Juniata College men?s tennis team earned a hard-fought 6-1 victory over local rival Penn State-Altoona, with today?s win in Huntingdon giving the Eagles a sweep in the season series. Juniata improved to 12-1 with the win while the visiting Lions dropped to 3-2.

The Eagles seized the early momentum by winning two of three doubles matches to claim the doubles point, and then carried that energy to wins in five of the six singles matches.

After splitting the first and third doubles matches, the Eagles duo of Tom Nelson (State College/State College) of Robert Bowser (Dallastown/York) won a marathon second doubles contest to secure the doubles point. The pair outlasted their opponents with a 9-8 victory to claim the point. Juniata?s first doubles team of Neil Eicher (Altoona/Altoona) and Brandon Long (Lebanon/Lebanon) earned the other win in doubles action by a score of 8-4.

Juniata then came out and claimed singles wins in the second-through-sixth positions. Jonathan Skoner (Central Catholic/Pittsburgh) at second singles was one of two Juniata players extended to a third set before earning the win. Skoner dropped the second set but came back in set three to earn a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 win. It was a similar story at sixth singles where Jonathan Cohen (Highland Regional/Hollywood, Fla.) claimed a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 triumph for Juniata.

Each of Juniata?s other three singles wins came in straight sets, though Brandon Long (Lebanon/Lebanon) needed a tie-breaker to win the first set of his fourth singles match. Long won that tie-breaker to propel him to a 7-6, 6-3 win. Brian Sykes (Gateway Regional/Woodburry Heights, N.J.) posted a 6-1, 6-3 victory at the third singles flight. Rounding out the victories was Ryan Navarro (Bishop Guilfoyle/Altoona) who posted a 6-1, 7-5 win in fifth singles.

The Eagles will play a critical Commonwealth match Saturday afternoon as they host Moravian College.

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.