CHARLESTON, W. Va. (Feb. 23, 2018) — Hours into the Salem University Tigers men's tennis team's match against the University of Charleston, the team gathered around Gregor Lanier, working through the tail end of a marathon match with Joao Tayar. 

Lanier got off to a rough start, falling behind 5-3 in the first set. But as the nerves settled, the freshman found some confidence and aggression, rallying for a 7-6 win by moving his opponent in four directions and finding openings to fire the ball through. 

In the second set, Lanier and Tayar battled to a 4-4 standstill before Charleston broke through, winning 6-4. 

As the last Tiger standing, Lanier worked through exhaustion, battling for every point through long rallies with the support of his teammates around him. But Tayar broke through on a long run, taking the set 10-3 and the match 2-1 as the Tigers fell 8-1. 

In doubles, playing together for the first time, Landon Shultz-Zwahr and Patryk Garwacky provided Salem with its lone victory, defeating Robert Berry and Tom Andrews 8-4. The duo held serve and executed enough to catch breaks, developing chemistry that belied an unfamiliarity as a tandem that was clear in an awkward celebration that fell undecidedly somewhere between a high five and a chest bump.

"I'm proud of our guys. They played some of their best tennis against a strong team," Head Coach Todd Tucker. "They'll be better tennis players after this." 

Scores:

Salem vs. University of Charleston

DOUBLES 

Lakeman/Tayar (UC) def. Padilla/Padilla (S) 8-4 

Gracin/Prince (UC) def. Lainer/Arevelo (S) 8-2 

Garwacky/Shultz-Zwahr (S) def. Berry/Andrews (UC) 8-4 

SINGLES 

Ben Lakeman (UC) def. Patryk Garwacki (S) 7-6;6-0 

Joao Tayar (UC) def. Gregor Lainer (S) 6-7;6-4;10-3 

Alek Gracin (UC) def.  Ivan Arevalo (S) 6-3;6-3 

Tom Andrews (UC) def. Andres Padilla (S) 6-0;6-1 

Elliot Le Petit (UC) def. Carlos Padilla (S) 6-3;7-6 

Jason Prince (UC) def. Landon Schultz-Zwahr (S) 6-4;7-5