NEWTON, Mass. - The Regis College men's tennis team opened up New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play with an 8-1 victory over Newbury College on Wednesday afternoon. Newbury falls to 0-2 and opens up conference action at 0-1, while the Pride pick up their first victory of the season and improve to 1-8 overall,1-0 in the NECC.

Regis jumped out to the quick 3-0 lead with a sweep of doubles. Sophomore Michael Beluch (Lynn, Mass.) and junior Jeff Parrish (Framingham, Mass.) held off the Newbury first doubles tandem of juniors Gerard Font-Raventos (Barcelona, Spain) and John Morgan (Cumberland, R.I.), 8-1.

Pride juniors Andy White (Bozeman, Mont.) and freshman Austin Nace (Sarasota, Fla.) proved to be too much for sophomores Wayne Gethers (Cambridge, Mass.) and Joey Verdon (Brookline, Mass.), as Nace and White won, 8-2 in second doubles. Seniors Sophon Nop (Lowell, Mass.) and Matt Smolko (Pelham, N.H.) completed the sweep of doubles with an 8-2 victory in third doubles.

Beluch, Parrish, White, an Nop also recorded wins at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 singles, respectively. Freshman Biruk Legesse (Marion, Mass.) defeated Gabriel Macolini (Newbury, Mass.), 6-1 and 6-2 at No. 6 singles for his first victory of the season.

Junior Steve Carey (Andover, Mass.) picked up the lone Nighthawk victory earning his first victory of his collegiate career, defeating Pride senior Mouhamed Diallo (Boston, Mass.) in three sets, 1-6, 6-2 and 10-7.

The Nighthawks return to the courts on Tuesday April 2nd when they travel to NECC opponent Wheelock College, while the Pride return to action tomorrow afternoon when they host conference foe Lesley University at 4:00 p.m.