THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - To start a stretch of six matches in six days, against five non-conference opponents, the Cal Lutheran men's tennis team took down Vassar (N.Y.) 6-3 at the Poulson Tennis Center today.

A strong showing in doubles action gave the Kingsmen an early 3-0 advantage. A trio of singles players earned points as well to aid in the team total.

The first duo done this afternoon was No. 3 Oliver Thornton and Gio Valdez who cruised past Juan Felipe Laso and Alexander Luckmann to an 8-1 win after opening a 7-0 lead. At No. 1 doubles, Moises Cardenas and Jesse Knight battled to the next team point by defeating Daniel Cooper and Nick Litsky 8-6. The No. 2 pair of Fergus Scott and Andrew Slater followed suit moments later, matching the No. 1 score during a victory over Christian Phelps and Evan Udine. The win for Scott and Slater was the first since they have teamed up on the courts.

Once individual play got underway, the points poured in from Cardenas, Slater and Valdez.

Though Cardenas would need a tiebreaker in the first set, he used that intensity to wear down Litsky before going on to win 7-6, 6-0 on the first court.

Slater, back in the lineup after an injury sidelined him for nearly a month earlier this season, suited up at No. 6 and hauled in his first singles win since Feb. 11. Valdez played at No. 3 for the third straight match and snapped a four-match losing streak. Each recorded wins of 6-1, 6-2.

Cal Lutheran (5-6) is back in action tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18, when the Kingsmen host Trinity (Conn.) for a 2:00 p.m. first serve.

Results: CLU 6, VC 3
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