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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - In their first match of the spring season and without their best player, the Jaguars cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Marian Knights at West Indy Racquet Club Friday afternoon. The Jaguars won five of six singles matches dropping only three sets in the process and junior Alex Toliver won his first match as a Jaguar in the first singles slot. 

With Jason Jaruvang sitting today's match out, Toliver was thrust into the first spot in his first dual match in over a year and he did not disappoint. Up 4-3 in the first set he got his first break of serve and held serve the next game to win the first set 6-3. He suffered an early break though in the next set and fell behind 3-0 after sending three straight shots into the net and missing an opportunity to break back.

"[Toliver] probably had some nerves there," said head coach Brandon Currie. "He had a few unforced errors, but I think ultimately he's going to figure it out and get it going. 

It didn't take long for Toliver to get things going. He fought back with both players exchanging breaks and sent the second set to a tiebreaker. He stumbled again though early in the tiebreaker, but had been wearing down his opponent the whole match running him from side to side. Down 6-4 and facing two set points, he took control and won four straight points to take the set and the match 6-3, 6-5 (6).

His teammates weren't afraid to let him know how thrilled they were for his first victory for IUPUI. After every big point Toliver let loose a loud "Let's go!" and his teammates echoed with their own cheers. "They're pretty happy for me," said Toliver. "Happy to see me win my first match for the school and I'm pretty happy about that too."

"It was kind of tough because we're going by these new rules," Toliver added. Under the new rules, players play a tiebreaker at 5-5 instead of 6-6 and no ad-points are played at deuce.

Toliver missed the fall season, but his addition to the team this spring gives the Jaguars a one-two punch they lacked in the fall. "I look at our team as having two guys that can play one or two. They can alternate and the matchups are going to be key to what we do," said Currie.

The other matchups today also favored IUPUI who won two of three doubles matches to snag the first point of the match. Patrick O'Neill teamed up with Toliver to take down the duo of Denton and Pochop 6-2, the same score of Jake Bradley and Thomas Gans's victory over Marian's Albert and Cunningham. In singles play, only Jake Hedderig and Bradley fell in their opening set, but Bradly fought back for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. O'Neill defeated Pochop for the second time with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in the fourth singles match. Gans and Akshay Verma also won their singles matches 6-3, 6-3 and 6-1, 6-2 respectively. 

Coach Currie will have his first opportunity to toy with a lineup including both Toliver and Jaruvang tomorrow when the Jaguars travel to Edwardsville, Ill. to take on the Cougars of SIU-Edwardsville at 5:30 p.m.