THIBODAUX – The Nicholls State University men's tennis team picked up a shutout in its 2012 home opener on Friday, defeating Oral Roberts 7-0 at the Colonel Tennis Complex.

Nicholls (1-1) claimed the doubles point by sweeping all three matches. Damjan Despotovski paired up with Palash Tiwari for an 8-4 victory at No. 1, while Sidharth Sivakumar / Roy Knight shutout their opponents 8-0 in the No. 2 match. The Colonels won the final match by default.

In singles action, Nicholls took all five matches played in straight sets. At the top of the lineup, Despotovski earned a 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 1, Shayann Vaezzadeh outlasted Parker Allen for a 7-5, 6-0 win and Roy Knight won the No. 3 match, 6-2, 6-1.

At the No. 4 spot, Tiwari had a strong showing by blanking Nathaniel Avery, 6-0, 6-0. Guillermo Collado wrapped up the day with a 6-0, 6-3 victory as Nicholls won its first match of the season.

The Colonels will have a week off before heading to Lafayette on Friday (Feb. 10) to take on Abilene Christian. First serve is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.

Complete results:
Singles
1. Damjan Despotovski (NICH) def. Alvaro Gutierrez (ORUM) 6-4, 6-1
2. Shayann Vaezzadeh (NICH) def. Parker Allen (ORUM) 7-5, 6-0
3. Roy Knight (NICH) def. Oscar Witzand (ORUM) 6-2, 6-1
4. Palash Tiwari (NICH) def. Nathaniel Avery (ORUM) 6-0, 6-0
5. Guillermo Collado (NICH) def. Matthew Prevost (ORUM) 6-0, 6-3
6. Sidharth Sivakumar (NICH) def. No player (ORUM), by default

Doubles
1. Damjan Despotovski/Palash Tiwari (NICH) def. Parker Allen/Alvaro Gutierrez (ORUM) 8-4
2. Sidharth Sivakumar/Roy Knight (NICH) def. Nathaniel Avery/Oscar Witzand (ORUM) 8-0
3. Dmitry Kozionov/Shayann Vaezzadeh (NICH) def. No player/No player (ORUM), by default