MIAMI, Fla. - The fourth-ranked Embry-Riddle men's tennis team opened its 2010 conference slate with a 9-0 shutout of St. Thomas on the Bobcats' home courts on Friday. The Eagles improved their record to 3-0 on the year and 1-0 in conference play, while the Bobcats fell to 2-2 and 2-1 in the league.

The Eagles battled through windy conditions to breeze through doubles, dropping only four games in three doubles contests. Istvan Bolgar and Peter Francis got things rolling with an 8-0 shutout of Gonzalo Gayoso and Jeremy Bache at No. 2. Jan Hoekzema and Alexis  Huegas were close behind with an 8-1 defeat of Adrian Escarate and Esteban Mesa at No. 1 and Luke Maricic and Charlie Rice made it 3-0 in favor of the Eagles with an 8-3 win over Frederico Acevedo and Jeremy Bache.

Hoekzema made quick work of Escarate at No. 1 singles, walking away with a 6-2, 6-2 win.  The clincher came at the No. 3 position where Francis bested Andrew Rifkin 6-2, 6-4. Rice defeated Bache 6-2, 6-4 at No. 4 and Bolgar handled Acevedo 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5 to make the team score 7-0.

The matches at the No. 2 and No. 6 singles spots both went to three sets. At No. 2, Huegas dropped the first set 7-6 (4), but bounced back to win his match with 6-3 and 6-4 wins in the next two sets. Zander Woodford Smith also lost his first set to Mesa, 6-4, but won the second 6-3 and took the third 10-6 to seal the shutout.

The Eagles have very little time to rest as they return to action at 10 a.m. on Saturday against NCAA II second-ranked Barry.