ELSAH, Ill. - The Webster University men's tennis team dropped a 9-0 decision here Thursday evening in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action to Principia College at the Principia Outdoor Tennis Court.

With the loss, Webster falls to 4-7-1 overall and 1-1 in the SLIAC, while Principia improved to 9-3 overall and clinched the regular season SLIAC title with a 3-0 league record. 

In Thursday's match against the Panthers, the Gorloks won a total of nine games in the nine matches that were played with eight of those nine games won coming in singles play. 

Principia, who won the regular season title for the fourth straight season, opened the match by sweeping all three doubles matches, including winning at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles by identical 6-0, 6-0 scores. At No. 1 singles, Webster's duo of fifth-year senior Riley Muren (O'Fallon, Ill./Illinois-Springfield) and freshman Matthew Birchmeier (Swartz Creek, Mich./Flushing) fell 8-1 to Principia's No. 1 team of Daniel Gomez and Wyatt Dale.

Meanwhile, in singles play, the Panthers swept all six matches as they won all but eight games in the match.

The only two matches were Webster didn't win a game came at No. 5 and No. 6 singles as freshman Noah Thomas (Wentzville, Mo./Holt) fell by 6-0, 6-0 scores to Rafter Sprague at No. 5 singles, while junior Justin Kohler (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) fell 6-0, 6-0 to William Johnson at No. 6 singles. 

Muren would take two games off of Gomez at No. 1 singles as he fell 6-0, 6-2, while junior Tanner Haugen (Jefferson City, Mo./Jefferson City) fell 6-1, 6-0 to Drew Funke at No. 4 singles.

At No. 2 singles, freshman Cody Neal (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit) fell 6-1, 6-1 to Dale, while Birchmeier suffered a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Juan Segovia at No. 3 singles to cap the match sweep. 

Webster will look to return to win column on Friday, April 16 as they close out SLIAC play with a 3 p.m. match in Greenville, Ill., against Greenville University. A win would all but assure the Gorloks of the No. 2 seed in next Saturday's SLIAC Men's Tennis Tournament, which will be held at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park.