LEXINGTON, Va. – The Washington and Lee men's tennis team closed the regular-season with its ninth straight win, defeating Franklin & Marshall by a score of 7-2 on Saturday at the Upper Courts.
 
The Generals carried a 3-0 lead into singles play after sweeping the doubles points.  W&L claimed a hard-fought victory at No. 1 doubles, with the team of first-years Eli Hirshberg (Alpharetta, Ga. / Johns Creek) and James Kurani (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence Day) posting an 8-7 (7) win over Isaac Rockower and Adrian Charchalis.  The teams of junior Evan Brady (Glen Head, N.Y. / Chaminade) and first-year Evan Erb (St. Louis, Mo. / MICDS), and senior T.J. Rudden (Mountain Lakes, N.J. / Mountain Lakes) and first-year James Kurani (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence Day) both breezed to wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, respectively.  Brady and Erb won 8-2 and Rudden and Kurani notched an 8-3 win.
 
In singles, W&L won each of the top four positions to claim the senior day victory.  Erb crafted a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 1, first-year Will Kistler (Hilton Head, S.C. / Laurel Springs) won 6-1, 6-4 at No. 2, Brady registered a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 3 and Hirshberg won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4.
 
With the victory, the Blue & White improved to 11-8 on the season.  F&M slipped to 6-6 with the loss.
 
Washington and Lee will be the top seed for the ODAC Tournament and will host a quarterfinal match against a yet to be determined opponent on May 3.  The time is also to be determined.