Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

ORLANDO, Fla. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's tennis team kicked off their spring matches with a double header Tuesday morning, falling to a pair of elite Florida schools, 0-9, 0-9. The Saints would have to play these matches in a split squad fashion, with half of the team being sent to clay courts in Orlando to face Florida Palms out of Miami and the other half headed west to St. Petersburg to dual Eckerd College on the hard courts. 

CSS vs. Florida Palms 
Doubles
The Saints would go to battle early against the newest addition to collegiate tennis, the University of Florida Palms Owls, who had just come off a tight match the previous day with #1 nationally ranked Case Western Reserve. CSS was able to take multiple games across the three doubles courts, losing several more narrowly to deciding points, but ultimately were blanked as a team, 0-3 headed into the singles portion. 

Singles
The Saint's would struggle to adapt to the drastic surface change, slipping and sliding to a 0-6 team effort against the clay seasoned Owls lineup. The Saint's singles lineup would feature the regular No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 players slotted at the top 3 positions.

CSS vs. Eckerd College
Doubles
Meanwhile on the western coast of Florida, the other half of the Saints played Eckerd College on their home courts in Tampa on Senior day. The Saint's would do well competing in the doubles portion, but ultimately couldn't grab a team point in this one either. The Saint's had their regular No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams play in this contest.

Singles
St. Scholastica sent their usual top three singles positions out in this one, but came up empty handed across these lines. At the remaining three positions Harper Dircks (Hopkins, Minn.) came close to a second career collegiate victory at the No. 6 spot but fell in the superbreaker 6-1, 2-6, (3-10).

Up Next
The Saint's will take Monday off and get back to work Tuesday with another double header, this time a morning and night tilt, allowing the Saints to be at full strength for these contests. Up first on Tuesday will be Springfield college at 11:30 a.m. at Red Bug Lake Park, who edged CSS last year in a thrilling 4-5 battle at Cane Lake. The Saints will change venues and duel Carthage at 6:30 p.m. under the lights at the United States National Campus.