CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Salisbury University men's tennis team went 2-1 on their Spring Break trip in California as the Sea Gulls faced two nationally ranked opponents. SU defeated Colorado College 9-0 and No. 30 Pomona-Pitzer College 8-1 but lost a tough 6-3 matchup with No. 11 Bowdoin College in the final day of the trip.

Salisbury (8-1) dropped the No. 1 singles match against the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer but then went on to a clean sweep to win 8-1. This was the first time SU coach Randy Halfpap beat his former team. Senior Brendan Kincaid and junior Sasha Felikson both claimed straight-set victories in singles play at No. 2 and No. 6, respectively, against the Sagehens. Junior Matt Nicholson and sophomore Evan Thomas, ranked No. 11 in the Atlantic-South region in doubles, won their No. 2 doubles match, 8-3.

The team of Nicholson and Thomas went undefeated over the three-day stretch with their most lopsided victory against Bowdoin, 8-1. The Polar Bears took the No. 1 doubles match as Garrett Gates and Stephen Sullivan, ranked No. 5 in the Northeast region, defeated Kincaid and sophomore Scott Burtzlaff, 9-8 as Bowdoin won the tiebreaker 7-4.

Burtzlaff and freshman David Lupinetti claimed the lone singles' victories for the Gulls. They both needed tiebreakers to stave off the Polar Bears. Burtzlaff won 2-6, 7-5, 7-6, (7-3) over Jamie Neely, ranked No. 24 in the Northeast region. Lupinetti held off Tyler Anderson for the 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 win.

The Sea Gulls started strong against Colorado College and did not look back as Burtzlaff and Kincaid won 8-3 at No. 1 doubles followed by Nicholson and Thomas at No. 2 doubles, who won 8-2. Freshman Andrew Nottage and sophomore Marcus Robinson finished the doubles competition with an 8-4 win over Evan Jonker and Nick Krezcko. In singles competition against the Tigers, SU went a combined 72-17 and never needed a third set.