WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. '" The No. 17 ranked Florida Gulf Coast University men'™s tennis team held strong on the courts against Palm Beach Atlantic University to claim their season opener 8-1. The Eagles finished 5-1 in singles and dominated in doubles 3-0. No. 3 nationally ranked senior Juan Carlos Osorio (Quito, Ecuador) led the Eagles, defeating Sailfish junior Paul Segodo (Valrico, FL) 6-4 and 7-6. Eagles head coach J. Webb Horton said that this match 'œwas a test for Juan. He was fighting a chest cold but he took the challenge and fought to win the match.' In other singles action, sophomore Gavin Manders (Warwick, Bermuda) defeated PBA freshman Kyle Maloof (Lake Wales, FL) 6-4 and 6-1. Senior Steve Schram (Norwich, OH) took Palm Beach'™s Rafael Vieira 6-0 and 6-2 while senior Tim Offerman (Hamburg, Germany) fell to sophomore Brock Newton (Roanoke, VA) 3-6, 7-5 and 10-11 ret. One Eagle stood out for Coach Horton. 'œThe star of the day was Schram," said the fifth year head coach. "He was ready when we needed him and he competed very well for us.' Eagles freshmen Danny Lee (Naples, FL) and Edson Lima (Brasillia, Brazil) won both their matches. Lee defeated PBA senior Caleb Peterson (Peru, IL) 7-5 and 6-0 and Lima knocked off freshman John Tilton (Jefferson, OR) 6-2, 7-6(3) and 10-3. 'œOur freshmen showed signs of maturity beyond their years,' stated Horton. 'œDown 3-5, Lee came back for the win and Lima started out cruising but pulled ahead for his victory.' In doubles, Osorio and Offerman paired up to defeat Peterson and Segodo 9-7. The freshmen Lima and Lee took on Maloof and Tilton for an 8-5 win at the No. 2 position. Manders and Schram defeated Vieira and Newton 8-2. The Eagles will now host No. 4 nationally ranked Lynn University this Thursday, Feb. 23 at 2:00 pm.