ALTOONA, PA – The Franciscan University of Steubenville Barons tennis team played its second game of the season against the Penn State-Altoona Lions Thursday afternoon, losing 9-0. The Barons currently stand 0-2 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

This is the first year for the Barons tennis team to compete as a division three AMCC squad, and it's a matter of contest experience to establish a rhythm against skilled teams such as PS-Altoona. “We were missing a couple of guys today and that was tough,” Barons head tennis coach Curtis Allen remarked. “We're still pretty inexperienced, and it's a big learning curve for us. Penn State-Altoona is a great team and they are very well coached.”

Keep an eye on Christopher Cooper, a seasoned player who played a strong match against Nick Vavarre of PS-Altoona, losing 6-3, 6-4.

“It was a good match for me,” Cooper noted. “Vavarre is a lefty, so that makes everything different and you have to be able to adjust. The first set was a little slow, but I got into a rhythm in the second set and almost won. The only way to get back into competitive matches is to play, and I feel like I was finding my rhythm. I have no regrets about the match and it was a learning experience – I'll be better prepared next time."

The Barons travel to Bethany College on Monday, March 8. Game time is at 4 p.m.