POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 13, 2016) — The Vassar College men's tennis team shut out Clark University, 9-0, to jumpstart its spring season Saturday in front of a healthy crowd at Walker Field House.

"We've been working really hard the past couple of weeks, and it was good to get into competition out there," coach Alex Wong said. "It was good to see so many faces out there supporting the team, and I think the guys really enjoyed the energy."

With the win, the Brewers improve to 3-2 overall, while the Cougars drop to 1-3. 

"We've been emphasizing that we can only do this as a team," Wong said. "Today was definitely a team effort. A lot of people had to step up."

Vassar cruised through doubles to quickly take a 3-0 advantage into singles. 

"We've been working really hard at doubles," Wong said. "It's something we've emphasized, and I'm really proud of the hard work they've put in."

At No. 1 doubles, Daniel Cooper (Piedmont, CA/Piedmont) and Nick Zuczek (Westerly, RI/Saint Bernard) finished with an 8-3 win over Fernando Pinoargote and Spencer Pinkney to put the Brewers on the board. Then Nick Lee (Larchmont, NY/Mamaroneck) and Nick Litsky (St. Petersburg, FL/Shorecrest Prep. School) downed Teodor Nicola and Jimmy Keogh, 8-2, for No. 3 before Alexander Luckmann (Berkeley, CA/Head-Royce School) and Evan Udine (Delray Beach, FL/Boca Raton Community) notched No. 2 with an 8-2 victory over Andrey Samodaev and Lenny Siegel.

"Any time you can take the majority of the doubles, it gives you extra confidence going into the singles," Wong said. "It takes a little pressure off. We were very happy to have a 3-0 lead going into the singles."

Juan Felipe Laso (Quito, Ecuador/Colegio American De Quito) picked up Vassar's first singles win when he shut out Siegel, 6-0, 6-0, for No. 4, and Cooper clinched the opener when he topped Pinoargote, 6-1, 6-1, for No. 5. 

The Brewers continued to role, as Udine beat Pinkney, 6-3, 6-3, for No. 3, and Litsky shut down Samodaev, 6-0, 6-0 for No. 1.

Perhaps the most exciting match was the fifth one, when Lee edged Nicola, 7-5, 6-1, in a thriller.

"Nick Lee was playing against a guy who's playing extremely well," Wong said. "He was down and could have lost that first set, but he put it together and won a close match. We're going to need a lot more battles like that as the season progresses."

Sha Huang (Austin, TX/Saint Stephen's Episcopal) finished the day with another close win for No. 6, as he beat Mateo Gomez, 6-4, 6-3.

The Vassar College men's tennis team will be back in action Saturday, Feb. 20 when it hosts Skidmore College at 1 p.m.