WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – UVa-Wise men's tennis suffered a 9-0 Mountain East Conference setback Sunday morning at West Liberty University in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. The Hilltoppers (9-4, 4-0 MEC), who are currently ranked second in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region, swept the visiting Cavaliers (4-14, 1-5 MEC) in both singles and doubles play.
 
UVa-Wise was only able to claim three total games in the three doubles matches as the junior duo of Andrii Rutnytskyi (Odessa, Ukraine) and Viktor Tunnikov (Kharkiv, Ukraine) fell 8-3 at the top spot to West Liberty's Baptiste Perrin and Santiago Gutierrez. The Hilltoppers' No. 1 doubles tandem of Perrin and Gutierrez are ranked second in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region according to the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) regional rankings. At No. 2 and No. 3 doubles the Cavs were handed a pair of 8-0 losses. Matt Tully and Luke Flanagan of West Liberty topped junior Christopher Armistead (Virginia Beach, Va.) and freshman Josh McFadden (Newport News, Va.) at the second spot, while the Hilltoppers' Pablo Cimorra and Camilo Moncayo bested the freshmen pair of Daniel Laughlin (Bristol, Va.) and John Hamilton (Wise, Va.) at third doubles.
 
Rutnytskyi, Tunnikov and Armistead each played close opening sets at the No. 1 through No. 3 singles positions. After a 6-4 first set at the top spot, Rutnytskyi was defeated 6-2 in the second against West Liberty's Perrin, who is ranked fifth in singles in the Atlantic region. Likewise, Tunnikov lost the first set 6-4 at No. 2 singles against the Hilltoppers' Gutierrez before dropping the second 6-0. At third singles, Armistead was edged 7-5 in the opening set against Tully of West Liberty but was handed a 6-1 loss in the second, snapping his four-match win streak.
 
At No. 4 singles the Hilltoppers' Moncayo grabbed a 6-0, 6-2 win over McFadden, while Laughlin dropped a 6-0, 6-1 decision at the fifth spot to West Liberty's Flanagan. Hamilton was defeated 6-0, 6-0 by the Hilltoppers' Cimorra at the sixth position.
 
The Cavs will have five days off from competition before wrapping up their four-match road trip and the regular season Saturday, April 15. UVa-Wise will travel to Buckhannon, West Virginia, to take on West Virginia Wesleyan for a 2 p.m. first serve.
 
Visit uvawisecavs.com for all Cavalier men's tennis news, statistics, complete schedule and more.
 
Full Match Results
West Liberty University 9, UVa-Wise 0
 
Singles
1. Baptiste Perrin (WLU) def. Andrii Rutnytskyi (WISE) 6-4, 6-2
2. Santiago Gutierrez (WLU) def. Viktor Tunnikov (WISE) 6-4, 6-0
3. Matt Tully (WLU) def. Christopher Armistead (WISE) 7-5, 6-1
4. Camilo Moncayo (WLU) def. Josh McFadden (WISE) 6-0, 6-2
5. Luke Flanagan (WLU) def. Daniel Laughlin (WISE) 6-0, 6-1
6. Pablo Cimorra (WLU) def. John Hamilton (WISE) 6-0, 6-0
 
Doubles
1. Baptiste Perrin/Santiago Gutierrez (WLU) def. Andrii Rutnytskyi/Viktor Tunnikov (WISE) 8-3
2. Matt Tully/Luke Flanagan (WLU) def. Christopher Armistead/Josh McFadden (WISE) 8-0
3. Pablo Cimorra/Camilo Moncayo (WLU) def. Daniel Laughlin/John Hamilton (WISE) 8-0