NEWBERG, Ore. – The George Fox men's tennis team hosted their first home dual meet of the season on Friday night, securing an exciting 8-1 win over UC Santa Cruz, marking their first official team victory of the season.

How It Happened 
In the doubles matches, the team of Hunter Fujimori and Zach Moore, fresh from their ITA Regional Championship, ignited the crowd with an entertaining match on court one. Fueled by a large and enthusiastic audience, they orchestrated a comeback win, setting the stage for the Bruins' lead in singles play.

The second and third doubles matches followed a similar pattern, with the Fox pairs of Eli Mizerski and Nanase Ebisu, and Vahag Pashayan and Lars Schmassmann, securing convincing wins with scores of 8-1 against their opponents.

Heading into singles play, Eli Mizerski was in the number one spot and showcased his exceptional form, winning decisively with scores of 6-3, 6-3 against Andrew Tjoa. Hunter Fujimori engaged in a thrilling three-set battle against Praneet Varade but couldn't replicate his doubles comeback, ultimately losing 10-6 in the third set.

The remaining singles matches saw Fox players, including Vahag Pashayan, Nanase Ebisu, Lars Schmassmann, and Alle Banna, deliver strong performances, securing wins in their respective matches. The scores for these matches were as follows: Vahag Pashayan won, 6-3, 6-1, Nanase Ebisu won, 6-1, 6-0, Lars Schmassmann won, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 10-5, and Alle Banna won, 6-1, 6-2.

Coach's Thoughts
"Having a fall match is always interesting because there's a long way to go as a team heading towards spring season," said Bruin head coach Jeff Cero, "It went pretty much as expected; some great moments and good fight, and some things we need to work on heading into spring."

What's Next
The Bruins travel to Rome, Georgia, next week to play in the ITA Cup. The matches are set for Thursday, Oct. 12th, times TBD.