Box Score (PDF)

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The George Mason University men's tennis team improved to 2-0 on the spring season with a 4-3 victory over Mary Washington on Friday night.
 
The Patriots dropped the doubles point, but rallied to take singles matches three through six to claim the victory.
 
Mason's doubles team of Daniel Gutierrez and Ryan Charles won their doubles pro set match, 8-3, but the Patriots dropped No. 2 and No. 3 singles to trail the match, 0-1.
 
But Mason enjoyed success in the back half of the singles draw. Sophomore Jakob Nielsen improved to 2-0 on the year in dual play, defeating Joe Brown at No. 3 singles, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
 
Senior Daniel Gutierrez picked up his first singles win of the spring, upending his opponent at No. 4 (4-6, 6-3, 6-2).
 
At No. 6 singles, freshman Carter Bradford won his second match in two tries this season, going the distance for a three-set victory (6-4, 4-6, 7-5).
 
But arguably the biggest win of the night came thanks to junior Giuliano Buzoianu, who, after splitting his first two sets (6-4, 4-6), trailed by three games in the last set, with one game loss clinching the match for Mary Washington. But Buzoianu proceeded to win the next five games to clinch the match for the Patriots and send Mason home with a quality road victory.
 
"Giuliano came up big for us, coming back from 2-5 in the third set to clinch the match," head coach Jimmy Davis said. "The guys still look to be struggling to stick with their identity on big points, so in practice we need to focus on pressure situations and what we can do to stay with our game no matter the situation. I'm proud of the guys for fighting through this tough match, and credit to Mary Washington for fighting for every point and pushing us to the limit."
 
The Patriots return to action Feb. 10 and 11 with A-10 matches vs. Dayton and Duquesne in Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
"We have a full week of practice to find our 'A' games and get ready for two big conference matches next weekend," Davis added. "We're excited to get back to work and see how much we can improve."