The Eagles men’s tennis team improved their overall record to .500 percent for the first time since Feb. 14, as they earned a 9-0 sweep over the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes on March 28. The men have won six of their last seven matches, including two runs of three wins in a row.

Play began with the doubles matches, which Biola started out with a strong note, winning on the No. 2 court 8-3. The No. 3 court, composed of freshmen Noah Archer and Jacob Vanderbeek, finished next, as they won their match 8-6. On the top court, freshman Derek James and junior Lucas Lee fought bitterly for their victory, walking away with the tough 9-7 win.

In singles play, Biola made short work of their first five matches, with the closest score coming on the No. 2 court, where junior Philip Westwood won his match 6-4, 6-2. The final match proved the most intense by far, as junior Michael Vartuli battled back-and-forth with his opponent on the No. 6 court.

Vartuli easily won the first set 6-1, then dropped the second 6-3 to require a tiebreaker third set. That third set ended up with Vartuli grabbing the win 10-6, preserving the Eagles’ well-deserved shutout.

Biola sits at 8-8 overall with six regular-season matches left and will look to try and finish with a positive record for the first time in at least a decade. Their next match is March 29 at 1:30 p.m. against the University of Hawaii at Hilo.