HILTON HEAD, S.C. - The Webster University men's tennis team opened up its Spring Break trip here Sunday by winning both of its matches in the Spring Tennis Fest at the Evian Tennis Center.

The Gorloks opened the day with a hard-fought 5-4 win over Thomas (Maine) College and then closed out the day with a 7-2 victory over Wisconsin-Lutheran.

With the two wins, Webster improves to 2-1 on the season, while Thomas fell to 0-1 and Wisconsin-Lutheran dropped to 0-7 on the year. 

"What a nice way to start off our spring break trip by picking up two hard-fought wins. I am really proud of the way we played today," Webster head coach Mike Siener said. 

In Sunday's match, the Terriers opened play winning both No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, but the Gorloks made sure it wasn't a sweep as its No. 2 team of freshman Tom Shutzman (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway South) and junior Charles McGhee (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) rallied to post a 9-8 (7-5) win to give Webster its first point of the match.

"I am really pleased with how we hung in there and battled and battled against Thomas,"  Siener said. "Our No. 2 doubles team played a great match. They were down early, came back and won in a tiebreaker. That win allowed us to stay in the match and not go down 3-0 heading into singles."

In singles, Webster tied the match at 2-2 as sophomore Nicholas Andrade (Quito, Ecuador/Francis Howell) posted a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 win at the No. 6 spot and then sophomore Riley Muren (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) would give the Gorloks a 3-2 lead in the match as he earned a win in a third set tiebreaker at the No. 1 spot against Thomas' Ryan Chasse. Muren won, 6-3, 5-7, 10-7 in the tiebreaker. 

Thomas would then tie the match at 4 after winning their singles matches at No. 2 and No. 3 to set up the match at No. 5 to determine the winner. At the No. 5 spot. freshman Zach Bliss (Branson, Mo./Branson) faced off against Thomas' Kaleb Payson. Bliss would seal Webster's victory with his 7-5, 6-4 straight set win. The victory by Bliss was his first collegiate tennis win. 

Meanwhile, in the second match against Wisconsin-Lutheran, the Gorloks picked up two wins in doubles to take a 2-1 lead in the match. In doubles play, Webster won by default at the No. 3 spot, while Shutzman and McGhee earned a hard-fought 9-7 win at the No. 2 spot. 

WLC's only doubles win came at the No. 1 spot as Ben and Jonny Wordell picked up an 8-5 win over Muren and freshman Austin Nation (Oklahoma City, Okla./Purcell). 

In singles action, the Gorloks picked up wins at No. 1, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5, while winning at the No. 6 spot by default. 

Four of Webster's wins in singles were in straight sets, while Shutzman won at the No. 3 spot in a third-set tiebreaker, 2-6, 7-6, 7-3. 

Perhaps the best singles match for the Gorloks against WLC as at the No. 4 spot, freshman Courtland Butler (St. Louis, Mo./McKinley) earned his first career collegiate victory as he defeated Grant Fleming in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. 

WLC's only singles win came at the No. 2 spot as Jonny Wordell picked up a 6-3, 6-3 straight sets win over Nation. 

Webster will continue play in the Spring Tennis Fest on Monday, March 12 as they face Marietta (Ohio) College at 10 a.m. EDT at Hilton Head High School.