OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.- The third ranked UWF Men's Tennis team got off to a strong start and never looked back in their opening match of the DII ITA National Indoor Tournament, defeating Wingate by a final of 4-1 inside the OKC Tennis Center on Friday afternoon.

The win moves the Argos to 7-1 on the season and advances them to Saturday's second round where they will face either Barry or Midwestern State while the Bulldogs drop to 3-1 and will face the loser of the aforementioned match.

West Florida was able to capture the first point of the match as they were able to get wins from the duo of Nicolas Lecoutre and Gabriel Nery plus Juan Motta and Salvador Bandeira who defeated their opponents 6-4 and 6-3, respectively.  Lecoutre and Nery had an especially big win as they were victorious over Roy Stepanov and Matteo Gostoli who came in as the 16th ranked pairing in the nation.

"Today's match was great for the guys as it was against a very tough opponent, but we came out very well, UWF head coach Derrick Racine said.  All three doubles matches were very close and fortunately, we were able to get wins at the number two and three spots."

Needing only three more wins to capture the match, the Argonauts got victories from Bojadjiev, Lecoutre and freshman Adam Svensson to close it out.  Bojadjiev won 6-2, 6-2 while Lecoutre went 6-4, 6-3 and Svensson came from behind to move the Argos on to the next round by going 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.

"All the singles were tight and we ended up pulling out the three singles matches that we needed", Racine continued.

Due to the match already being clinched, Bandeira and senior Juan Cabrera's matches went unfinished.

Overall, the head coach was very excited about the play of his team.  "It's tough for the guys as they are not used to playing in those conditions but I think that is what makes it fun because it's different for all teams so it's unique and we are really proud to be part of the first ITA National Indoor Tournament.

Despite the win, Racine knows the team must be ready for what lies ahead of them.  "Tomorrow's match will be another tough one as we will face another nationally ranked opponent but I think the guys are up for it and ready for the challenge", Racine finished.

Next Up: The Argonauts will play in the second round of the tournament against the winner of Barry/Midwestern State.  That match will begin at 5:30 pm central time from the Oklahoma City Tennis Center.

For the latest information on UWF Tennis, please visit goargos.com or follow the team on Twitter @TennisUwf.