The Waynesburg University men’s tennis team traveled to Erie this past weekend for a tri-match with Pitt-Bradford and Penn State Behrend.

Waynesburg (3-3) started off the day on the right note against Pitt-Bradford (0-5).

In doubles play, juniors Jonah Cooper and Josh Denham rolled through with an 8-5 win at the No. 1 spot. Shortly after, seniors Adam McKnight and Andy Brunette continued the trend with an 8-3 victory.

McKnight also had success in singles competition. Head coach Ron Headlee was pleased with the play from his senior.

“I think [McKnight] played the most consistent for us,” said Headlee. “He had a good chance at winning both of his singles matches and came up a little bit short, but I thought he [was] pretty consistent all day.”

Junior Brian Drake and sophomore James Zeremenko completed the sweep in doubles, winning 8-5.

In singles competition, Brunette, McKnight, Denham and Zeremenko came away with victories.

The Yellow Jackets tried to carry the momentum into play against Penn State Behrend (2-3) but unfortunately were unsuccessful.

According to Denham, the team used the matches to gauge the overall preparedness looking forward to the rest of season so they can make adjustments as necessary.

“Our expectations were to kind of go in and see where we were for the season,” said Denham. “Considering it was our first match, we were kind of feeling out how we want to play.”

Despite the valiant effort by McKnight, the Jackets were swept in singles play by Behrend.

Similarly, the team was swept in the doubles as well.

In the past, the Jackets have struggled with consistency. But according to Headlee, a plan is being set in place to help the team adjust.

“We will work on it,” said Headlee. “I have a good read on what they need to work on and some of them just need more playing time. In our doubles team, we need to be more aggressive at the net.”

On a positive note, Brunette made his return to the courts after a two-year hiatus. Although he hasn’t played the past two seasons, his senior leadership hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“I like the way he plays on the court,” said Headlee. “He doesn’t get uptight, he played pretty loose, he adds a lot at doubles especially with [McKnight].”

Brunette’s teammates also appreciate what the senior brings to the table.

“I think it’s really huge that he came back and really wanted to play with us,” said Denham. “I think its huge for our entire team because he’s a really good player, so it’s nice to have that all the way through the lineup.”

Despite the loss, Denham believes that there are positives to come out of the matches.

“I thought we played really well,” said Denham. “I thought it was pretty good for our first match of the season and we really set our set our expectations.”

The next time the tennis team returns to the courts will be Saturday, March 24, when it faces Thomas More in the first conference matchup of the season.