Box Score STATESBORO, Ga. - The University of North Florida men's tennis team dropped its season opener at Georgia Southern on Sunday afternoon, falling 5-2 to the homestanding Eagles.

The Ospreys opened the match by securing wins at the bottom two doubles positions to take the doubles point and grab a 1-0 lead. Kurt Gattiker and Eduardo Pereira outlasted GSU's Gregory Bekkers and Philip Prins 9-8 (10) in the best battle of the day at the No. 2 position, while UNF's Javier Ferrin and Adrian Escarte upended Joris DeWeerdt and Matthew Sands 8-2 at the No. 3 spot.

In singles, only Pereira was able to come up with a victory for the Ospreys. Pereira won 6-1, 6-4 at the No. 2 position, knocking off Borja Malet. UNF's Javier Ferrin (No. 1) and Graham Edgar (No. 5) each pushed their matches to three sets but couldn't collect wins.

"Season openers are usually tough, especially when they are away," UNF head coach Igal Buberman said. "I knew the guys were going to be a little hesitant and conservative, and that hurt us a lot. We were able to build some momentum at the beginning by winning the doubles point. In singles, we did not show up to play with the confidence we are accustomed to. We had two early losses at No. 4 and No. 6, shifting a lot of pressure to the remaining positions. This was a disappointing loss, but I expect that after a few changes in the lineup, and after adjusting a few things during practice, we will bounce back."

UNF returns to action on Feb. 5 when Bethune- Cookman pays a visit to the UNF Tennis Complex. Match time is set for 2 p.m.

Georgia Southern 5, North Florida 2
Singles competition
1. Emmanuel Nkoueleue (GSU) def. Javier Ferrin (UNF) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
2. Eduardo Pereira (UNF) def. Borja Malet (GSU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Gregory Bekkers (GSU) def. Kurt Gattiker (UNF) 6-4, 7-5
4. Philip Prins (GSU) def. Yuiti Lopes (UNF) 6-3, 6- 3
5. Mark Paetz (GSU) def. Graham Edgar (UNF) 6-3, 0- 6, 6-1
6. Joris DeWeerdt (GSU) def. Alejandro Argumedo (UNF) 6-0, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. Emmanuel Nkoueleue/Borja Malet (GSU) def. Yuiti Lopes/Alejandro Argumedo (UNF) 8-4
2. Kurt Gattiker/Eduardo Pereira (UNF) def. Gregory Bekkers/Philip Prins (GSU) 9-8
3. Javier Ferrin/Adrian Escarte (UNF) def. Joris DeWeerdt/Matthew Sands (GSU) 8-2

Records:
UNF (0-1)
Georgia Southern (1-1)