KALAMAZOO, Mich. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) - The Green Bay men's tennis team (0-1) began its spring season Friday night with a 5-2 loss to Western Michigan (1-0) at West Hills Athletic Club in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Western Michigan earned the doubles point to start the match, taking two of the three doubles contests. The junior duo of Erik Finkenbrink (Duelman, Germany) and Craig Cox (Surrey, England) picked up Green Bay's lone doubles win, defeating WMU's Simon Blomberg and Zeyad Montasser 9-7 in the No. 2 spot.

At No. 4 singles, freshman Felix Goepper (Seelbach, Germany) earned a victory in his first collegiate singles match, downing Montasser in a pair of tiebreaks, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (9). Fellow freshman Michael Tenzer (Neuried, Germany) started at the No. 1 singles spot in his first match, falling in two close sets to WMU's Nadin Indre, 6-3, 6-4.

Cox dropped the opening set but recovered to post the other Phoenix victory at No. 5 singles, defeating Ross VanderPloeg 6-7 (8), 6-2, 1-0 (10-3).

The Phoenix has a quick turnaround, as it faces IPFW on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in Kalamazoo.

Doubles:
No. 1 - Nadin Indre/Ross VanderPloeg (WMU) def. Michael Tenzer/Felix Goepper (GB) 8-4
No. 2 - Erik Finkenbrink/Craig Cox (GB) def. Simon Blomberg/Zeyad Montasser (WMU) 9-7
No. 3 - Marc Shideler/Pablo Olivarez (WMU) def. Paul Swanson/Michael Tebon (GB) 9-7

Order of finish: 1, 3, 2

Singles:
No. 1 - Indre (WMU) def. Tenzer (GB) 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 - Blomberg (WMU) def. Finkenbrink (GB) 7-6, 6-0
No. 3 - Olivarez (WMU) def. Swanson (GB) 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 - Goepper (GB) def. Montasser (WMU) 7-6, 7-6
No. 5 - Cox (GB) def. VanderPloeg (WMU) 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 1-0 (10-3)
No. 6 - Aaron Wong (WMU) def. Henning Jess (GB) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2

Order of finish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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