Sept. 25, 2009

ATLANTA, GA - The Winston-Salem State Rams had a tough outing, Thursday on the first day of the 2009 HBCU Invitational. The four-day individual tournament saw the Rams take on some of the top performers in Historical Black College tennis. Things got off to a rough start for the Rams who opened the tournament with a four individual losses, but saw the players fight hard in every match.

The Rams got things going early with some strong efforts in the Men's Flight A. WSSU Junior Brian Coxton got things going with a great effort for the Rams, pushing Prairie View A&M's Jose Garcia, an All-SWAC performer last season, in a 6-2, 0-6, 4-10 loss. Ram junior Maximilian Glodde added another strong performance in a 2-6, 0-6 loss to Prairie View A&M's Craig Witz. WSSU sophomore Joab Odera rounded out the Rams' effort in Men's Flight A with a 0-6, 1-6 loss to Florida A&M's David Jackson, an All-MEAC performer last season.

In Men's Flight B, things fared no better for the Rams as WSSU senior Troy Moore struggled in a 1-6, 0-6 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Eduardo Lugue, an All-SWAC player last season. WSSU junior Ian Hunter tool a 0-6, 1-6 loss to Xavier-Louisiana's Mikhail Vaval.

In Men's Flight C, WSSU sophomore Calvin Brooks took a 0-6, 0-6 loss to Florida A&M's Forrest Jenkins.

The Rams will return to action on Friday in Atlanta, Ga. For more information on Rams tennis, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2909 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.