FLORENCE, S.C. --- The 15th-ranked Francis Marion University men's tennis team posted a 9-0 win over visiting Tusculum College Saturday afternoon at the Kassab Courts on the FMU campus.

Francis Marion improves to 6-1, while the Pioneers suffer their first loss of the year to move to 6-1 on the campaign.

The Patriots swept the doubles matches to take a 3-0 advantage. Dilshod Sharifi, the No. 17 player in the nation (NCAA II), posted a straight set win over Tusculum's Henrique Rodrigues, 6-3, 6-1. FMU also got singles wins by Dirk Bair, Alex Caspari, Karl Rogers, Mickey Poirier and Jack Bishop.

Tusculum continues its South Carolina road swing on Tuesday as the Pioneers take on East Stroudsburg at 8 a.m. in Hilton Head Island, S.C.

- TC -

Singles
1. #17 Dilshod Sharifi (FMUM) def. Henrique Rodrigues (TCM) 6-3, 6-1
2. Dirk Bair (FMUM) def. Luis Zamora (TCM) 6-1, 6-1
3. Alex Caspari (FMUM) def. Steven Lin (TCM) 6-0, 6-2
4. Karl Rogers (FMUM) def. Oliver Smith (TCM) 6-3, 7-5
5. Mickey Poirier (FMUM) def. Drew Kiser (TCM) 6-0, 5-7, 10-8
6. Jack Bishop (FMUM) def. Gui Carvalho (TCM) 6-0, 6-3

Doubles
1. Dirk Bair/Karl Rogers (FMUM) def. Henrique Rodrigues/Luis Zamora (TCM) 8-5
2. Alex Caspari/Jack Bishop (FMUM) def. Steven Lin/Oliver Smith (TCM) 8-1
3. Dilshod Sharifi/Mickey Poirier (FMUM) def. Drew Kiser/Paulo dos Santos (TCM) 8-2

Match Notes:
Tusculum College 6-1; Regional ranking #16
Francis Marion University 6-1; National ranking #15; Regional ranking #5