NEED TO KNOW:
Match 1 Score: Piedmont 9, Miss. Univ. for Women 0
Match 2 Score: Piedmont 9, Berea 0

BEREA, Ky. - The Piedmont men's tennis team delivered a pair of 9-0 sweeps in doubleheader action Friday evening.

The Lions split their squad on Friday, with one group taking on Mississippi University for Women on the road while another group opened conference play in style, with a 9-0 shutout at Berea.

Match 1: Piedmont 9, MUW 0

The Lions began the day in Mississippi, rolling over MUW 9-0 to pick up their 11th win of the season.

Piedmont was dominant in doubles, delivering three 8-0 victories, rolling into singles with a 3-0 lead.

Playing together for the first time this season, upperclassmen PATRICK DEMPSEY and HOUSTON MEDLOCK were victorious at No. 1, giving Dempsey wins on back-to-back days at No. 1 singles. RYAN RAUGH and JACKSON TRAYLOR won at No. 2 while BRYCE VANORDER and KODY DILLS picked up their second win of the season together, at No. 3.

The domination continued into singles play as the Lions won all six lines in straight sets and only dropped six total games in the process.

Dempsey, Raugh and JC FOSTER each did not drop a game, winning at No. 2, 4 and 5 respectively.

VanOrder won for the second straight day at No. 1 (6-0, 6-2), improving to 3-0 on the season at the top spot. 

Five of the six Lions to win in singles action were either freshmen or sophomores.

Match 2: Piedmont 9, Berea 0

In its long-awaited opening to conference play, Piedmont did not let up in the evening, capping the day with a 9-0 sweep of Berea.

Once again, the Lions swept all three doubles lines and won all six singles matches in dominant fashion.

This time, Piedmont dropped just two games over the three doubles lines, as ALBERTO NUNEZ and CHRIS BALE were perfect at No. 2 while LEO GALARZA and SILAS SANDLES did the same at No. 3.

Needing just two singles wins to clinch the match, Bale and Sandles quickly delivered, with Bale prevailing 6-0, 6-1 at No. 4 before Sandles clinched with a perfect 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 3.

Galarza won his second 6-0, 6-0 match this week, at No. 6 while ROMAN WEBB (6-1, 6-2), MIKE PORCELLI (6-2, 6-3) and Nunez (6-3, 6-4) also picked up wins in two sets.

Up next, the Lions will once again play two matches with a split squad on Saturday, taking on Sewanee and Maryville at 2 p.m. The Lions will look to improve to 2-0 in conference play as they take on the Scots on the road.

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