WEST POINT, N.Y. –– The Navy (29-13) men's tennis team opened pursuit of its second Patriot League Tournament title in as many years with a 4-0 victory over Lafayette (5-12), Friday at the Lichtenberg Tennis Center in West Point, N.Y., in a quarterfinal round match between the teams.
 
The win by the top-seeded Mids over the No. 8 Leopards advances Navy to a semifinal round match Saturday at 10 a.m.  There, Navy will face the winner of the No. 4 Bucknell vs. No. 5 Boston U. match.  The Bison and the Terriers face each Friday at 11 a.m.
 
"The team came in focused and that continued from the start of doubles through the end of singles," said Navy head coach Chris Garner.  "We are excited to move forward and play again Saturday."
 
Navy lost a total of five games across the three doubles matches on Friday.  The No. 3 team of Greg Durham (Jr., Melbourne Beach, Fla.) and Jake Fishkin (Fr., Baltimore, Md.) were the first match to finish as the duo won a 6-1 decision over Ross Coleman and Andrew Reed.  The Mids clinched the doubles point when their No. 1 tandem of Jack Dabek (Fr., Dublin, Ohio) and Andrew Ton (So., Milpitas, Calif.) tallied a 6-2 win over Brandt Baldwin and William Barry.
 
In the remaining match, Navy's No. 2 team of Peter Lohrbach (So., Little Neck, N.Y.) and Derrick Thompson (Fr., Towson, Md.) held a 5-2 advantage over Daniel Kramer and John Yurconic when the Mids secured the doubles point.
 
The teams completed nine sets in the six singles matches before the Mids earned three wins to close out the match.  Navy lost a combined three games in those nine sets.
 
Earning Navy's second team point was Thompson as he won, 6-0, 6-0, over Yurconic at the No. 2 flight.  Lohrbach also didn't give up a game in defeating Paul Caruso at No. 6 singles to make the score 3-0.  Fishkin concluded play with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Coleman at No. 5 singles.
 
Navy defeated both Bucknell, 7-0, and Boston U., 4-1, earlier this season.  The Mids have posted a 6-0 record in the tournament against Bucknell, with the teams last playing two years ago in the semifinal round.  Navy has faced Boston U. in the tournament three times in the five previous seasons the Terriers have been part of the league.  The Mids have won all three matches, with two of them –– including last year's semifinal round match –– having the final score of 4-3.
 
Navy def. Lafayette, 4-0
Doubles – Navy wins the doubles point (3-1)
1. Dabek, Jack / Ton, Andrew (NAVY) def. Baldwin, Brandt / Barry, William (LAF) 6-2
2. Lohrbach, Peter / Thompson, Derrick (NAVY) vs. Kramer, Daniel / Yurconic, John (LAF) 5-2, unfinished
3. Durham, Greg / Fishkin, Jake (NAVY) def. Coleman, Ross / Reed, Andrew (LAF) 6-1
Singles (2-6-5)
1. Ton, Andrew (NAVY) vs. Barry, William (LAF) 6-0, unfinished
2. Thompson, Derrick (NAVY) def. Yurconic, John (LAF) 6-0, 6-0
3. Durham, Greg (NAVY) vs. Kramer, Daniel (LAF) 6-0, unfinished
4. McBride, Jack (NAVY) vs. Baldwin, Brandt (LAF) 6-2, unfinished
5. Fishkin, Jake (NAVY) def. Coleman, Ross (LAF) 6-0, 6-1
6. Lohrbach, Peter (NAVY) def. Caruso, Paul (LAF) 6-0, 6-0