FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – A half-dozen Fords from the Haverford College men's tennis team spent the weekend at the University of Mary Washington for the 2010 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Southeast Regional Championship and returned home with a positive outlook toward the spring season.

Freshman Andy Dougherty played his way into the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket in the championship singles draw. He defeated Dustin Nelson from Christopher Newport in straight sets (6, 1, 6-0) in the consols' round of 16 before falling to Garrett Mertl of Johns Hopkins in one of the quarterfinal matches of the consolation bracket.

Junior Will Garrett captured his championship draw cosolation bracket opener in the round of 32 with a victory over Chris. Newports' Lorenzo Sison before falling in the consols' round of 16. Senior captain Hailiu Yang also played into the same round of 16 but fell in straight sets.

In the B1 singles draw, freshman Matt Romei won his collegiate debut with a 6-2, 4-6, 1-0(8) victory over Eva Stutchin of Ursinus, but Romei dropped a 6-2, 6-3 decision to Hopkins' Ryan Rauck in a quarterfinal match. Junior Ankur Arya moved all the way into the consolation bracket's semifinal round before falling to Swarthmore's Christian Carcione in straight sets.

Garret and Yang won their opening match in the championship doubles draw by defeating Washington College's Aaron Ellison and Kyle Lisco, 8-2. The Haverford pair lost to a tandem from Carnegie Mellon in the championship round of 16, though.

Dougherty and Romei were teamed up in the championship draw and, after losing their opening match, played their way into the consolation bracket's quarterfinals before falling to a two-some from Swarthmore.

Especially with the freshmen gaining valuable experience at the Regional, the Fords will look to parlay the positive results from the fall into a run toward the Centennial Conference tournament in the spring.