LAKELAND - Three wins in doubles play got the Moccasins off to a strong start, and quick wins by Guenther Fercher and Christian Lange gave them two early wins in singles play as #13 Florida Southern defeated Bentley, 7-2, on Tuesday afternoon.
Two of Florida Southern's doubles matches were decided in relatively quick fashion as well, with Ben Taylor and Brian deMontfort combining for an 8-1 win at the #2 position, and Lange and C.J. Johnson winning by an 8-0 score at #3. Michael Knoedler and Roman Schirmaier then gave the Mocs (6-3) a 3-0 lead with an 8-4 win at #1.
The Falcons (0-2) were able to pick up one point at #1 singles where 20th-ranked Lorenzo Cava defeated Schirmaier, 6-1, 6-3, but his teammates were falling behind elsewhere. Fercher ended up with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at the #4 singles position and Lange secured the match for Florida Southern with a 6-0, 6-2 win at #2.
Taylor and Johnson also earned straight-set wins for Florida Southern, and along with Lange, each of them helped the Mocs pick up two of their seven points in the match.
Florida Southern will play again on Thursday when it hosts #7 West Florida at noon. It will be the Mocs' fourth match against a top-ten team this year, but their first at home.
