The Suffolk University Men's Tennis team opened the 2011 season with a 9-0 victory over the Norwich University Cadets (0-2, 0-1 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match play on Saturday afternoon.

Junior Chris Staley (London, England) sealed the shutout for the Rams with a 7-6 tiebreak victory in the second singles position for the Rams. Staley topped freshman Christian Hoskey (St. Charles, Ill.), 6-1 in their opening set before capping off the dramatic tiebreaking victory for the Rams.

Staley finished the day a winner in both singles and doubles play, as he and junior Sean Cullen (Wells, Me.) partnered in the top doubles match to defeat Hoskey, and junior Collin Hyte (Marblehead, Mass.), 8-0.

Cullen was a winner in the top singles spot for Suffolk, defeating Hyte, the reigning GNAC Rookie of the Year in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.

Junior John Samander (Willemstad, Curacao) and freshman Hubert Cromback (Paris, France) both earned two wins for the Rams in singles and doubles play. Samander was the victor in the third singles set topping junior Graham Oliviera(Westerly, R.I.), 6-0, 6-1. Cromback won his match in the number four singles position, 6-2, 6-3 over junior Luis Galvez (Guatemala). The Suffolk duo then matched up against the Cadets' third and fourth singles players and won the second doubles match, 8-0.

Senior Justin Ayoub (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and sophomore Dachuan Zhu (Beijing, China) earned the other two Rams' wins in singles play as the Rams were 6-0 winners in all four sets.

Sophomore Daniel Kelly (Nashua, N.H.) and freshman Vassili Stroganov (Moresholm, Denmark) partnered for the third Suffolk win in doubles play.

The Rams will be back in action on Thursday evening as they take on Wentworth Institute of Technology in non-conference action at 6:00pm at the Dexter School.