Misenheimer, N.C.--The Wingate men’s and women’s tennis teams got the 2011-12 season off to a positive start on Thursday as they swept Pfeiffer. The men’s team won 8-1, while the women claim a 7-2 victory. Both Wingate teams are 1-0, while Pfeiffer drops to 1-2 on the men’s side and 1-1 on the women’s side.

The Wingate men swept the singles competition, as seniors Matthew Lichtenstein and Flavio Rathsam, freshman Neil Towlson, sophomore Ryan Forbes, seniors Fernando Montemurro and Greg Machado each picked up wins. Lichtenstein defeated Ben Hunter 6-2, 6-3 in number one singles, Rathsam won 6-3, 2-0 (ret.), over Sebastian Wernecke, Towlson picked up his first singles win at the number three with a pair of 6-1 victories over Luis Villalta, while Forbes won 6-3, 6-3 against Ethon Lyon. Montemurro beat Stephen Miller 6-3, 6-4, 10-6, while Machado won 6-4, 6-1 over Bret Williams.

In doubles play, Hunter and Wernecke beat Lichtenstein and Towlson 8-3 for Pfeiffer’s only triumph of the afternoon. Rathsam and Forbes knocked off Villalta and Mark Henry 8-1, while Montemurro and Machado won 8-5 over Lyon and Miller.

The Wingate women began their quest for a second straight NCAA Southeast Regional Playoff bid with a 7-2 win. Pfeiffer’s Alena Krutkina earned two wins on the afternoon, defeating Ali Evers 7-5, 6-4 in number one singles play and teaming up with Cari Hopson to defeat Kelli Ferguson and Becca Thomas 9-8 (9-7) in the top doubles pair.

Wingate won in numbers two, three, four, five and six singles matches with Thomas earning her first collegiate win over Taylor Lindsay 6-2, 6-1. Sophomore Olivia Poole won 6-3, 6-3 over Hopson, while classmate Morgan Winston beat Chelsi Haefele 6-3, 6-3. Thomas wasn’t the only Wingate freshman to win her first singles match, as Tiffany Williams defeated Briana Oliver 6-2, 6-1. Junior Helen Goreski picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win over Kayleigh Featherstone.

The doubles pairing of Evers and Poole won 8-4 over Haefele and Hopson, while Williams and senior Samantha Alschlager defeated Oliver and Featherstone 8-0. Wingate will continue the fall portion of its schedule Wednesday at Catawba. The nonconference match will begin at 2:30 p.m.