The Stetson men's tennis team (10-1, 2-0) was defeated by the #17 Drake Bulldogs (14-1) by a score of 7-0 on Monday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.

Drake put Stetson in a hole early by taking the doubles point. The Bulldogs won the first two matches of the day to secure the 1-0 lead, and hand the Hatters their first doubles loss in their last six outings. They held a 7-4 advantage in the third match before it was stopped.

Drake carried that momentum into singles, winning all six matches in straight sets. The Bulldogs are the highest ranked team Stetson has hosted at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center, and are currently 4-1 against ranked opponents.  The difficult competition will help prepare the Hatters in their upcoming contests.

"What a great experience it was for our young team to play such a strong program like Drake," Stetson Director of Tennis Pierre Pilote said after the match.  "They are where we aim to be in future years."

The loss on Monday ended Stetson's 10-match winning streak, its best start to a season since 1996. Stetson will look to right the ship when the Hatters host Wisconsin-Green Bay on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. before heading to Georgia for two conference matches against Kennesaw State and Mercer.

"Now our eyes are set to our next challenge," Pilote said. "We play another talented team in Wisconsin-Green Bay on Wednesday."