The Army men’s tennis team showed it is ready to defend its Patriot League title with two non-league victories Saturday afternoon at the Lichtenberg Tennis Center. The Black Knights swept Providence 7-0 in the 9 a.m. match and then swept Binghamton 7-0 in the 3 p.m. match to open the spring portion of its schedule.

Senior Marshall Clay at first singles and first doubles went undefeated beating Providence’s Paco Fabian 6-2, 6-3 in the morning and Binghamton’s Dmitriy Litvak 6-2, 7-6. At doubles, Clay teamed with classmate Andy Burdette in the morning to stop Providence’s first doubles team 8-2, and then the two teamed up against Binghamton to beat its first doubles team 8-1.

Freshman Kent Ball won at second singles against Providence with teammates sophomore Arnie Albornoz, junior Sonny Avichal, sophomore Matt Thinnes and Burdette following up with straight-set wins at two through six singles, respectively. Ball went into a tie-breaker in both of his games, and Albornoz won by default when his opponent could not continue the match. That was the closest Army came to dropping a game against the visiting Friars. Avichal breezed winning straight sets 6-2, 6-0.

In the nightcap, Army swept the doubles and won third, fourth, fifth and sixth singles to clinch the match. Clay, at first singles, battled a determined opponent in Litvak but still managed to come out on top. Albornoz and his brother Rafael were both straight-set victors at third and fourth singles respectively. Thinnes and Burdette each won straight sets at fifth and sixth singles.