The men's tennis team's spring trip to Hilton Head, S.C., proved to be a success in more ways than one.

"The trip went well," Coach Jan Bortner said. "It was very productive."

The team left Saturday, March 7, and returned Friday. While in Hilton Head, the team played, and won, three dual meets and raised its record to 5-0 on the season.

The team's first match was on Sunday (March 8), against Edinboro University, ranked second in Division II. The Lions were 4-2 after singles play, and swept the doubles matches to win the meet, 7-2.

The following day, the team waltzed by Washington College, a Division III school from Maryland, by a score of 8-1. The Lions' only loss came at the second seed in singles, where Greg Gaunt was forced to play in place of Marc Price, who couldn't make the trip due to tendonitis in his knees.

"I had a little bit of trouble," Gaunt said. "It was a little more difficult for me (to move up) -- it wasn't as bad for the rest of the team."

The team's third match in as many days was against University of Detroit. The Lions won, 7-0, after sweeping the singles competition and winning one doubles match before rain caused a premature end to the meet.

Price's absence caused a shifting of the lineup. Eduardo Abril remained the top seed. Gaunt, along with Ivan Spinner, Chad Skorupka and Brett Englesberg moved up one spot to fill the void. Corey Goldstein moved into the sixth position and saw his first action of the season.

"Corey did a good job -- he won all his matches," Bortner said. "He looked real solid. He was patient and very consistent."

The doubles ranks were also shuffled. While the team of Englesberg and Spinner remained intact, Abril was paired with Gaunt, and Goldstein teamed with Skorupka. The team of Kevin Mullen and Marc Payne also saw action, winning the only doubles contest in the Detroit meet.

The team also had its fair share of practices, and Bortner said it needed as much practice as it could get with the upcoming schedule.

"From here on out, our schedule is real, real tough," he said. "Every match we play is going to be tough. We've got to work and practice."

"The team looks much better," Gaunt said. "We're 'fine tuned,' as (Bortner) would say."