The Whitehall boys tennis team hosted Nazareth on Monday afternoon, and the undefeated Blue Eagles were able to swoop in for the league victory.

The Zephs lost 6-1 to the Blue Eagles, who currently sit atop the standings in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference at 11-0.

Despite the loss, the Zephyrs have been racking up wins this year. They’re currently 7-4, having just passed the midway point of the season.

The match against the Blue Eagles was another step in the maturation process. Last season Nazareth blanked the Zephs 7-0. This season they won one match, and were victorious in games during every match, staying competitive throughout their lineup.

While Nazareth swept the singles competition in straight sets, Whitehall managed to win 17 games between the three singles spots. At No. 1 singles, Nazareth’s Ben Tauber uncorked a powerful first serve that resulted in a number of aces. Jeremy Lin battled throughout the afternoon, but the pace and shot-making ability of Tauber prevailed, leading to the 6-1, 6-0 win.

At No. 2 singles, Gavin Meyers also had his hands full with Blue Eagle Mike Fishler. He lost 6-2, 6-4.

No. 3 singles saw Alex Rohn lose his grip on some early leads. He eventually lost the first set in a tiebreaker at 7-6, and then fell 6-4 to Nate Tauber in the decisive second set.

At No. 2 doubles, the duo of Max Nuscher and Nick Rohn withstood a second set dip to rally for the three-set victory. They finally wore down Joey Guagliardi and Matt Soika with some nifty shot making that transpired after a meeting with coach Berg heading into that third set. It was a discussion that seemed to breathe life back into them. While Alex Rohn was smacking some strong first serves for points, Nuscher was at the net slamming home winners with a devastating overhand. That combination paved the way for the 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory.

“Alex has a big serve when he gets it in,” said Berg. “And Max can make shots, too.”

That was on display all afternoon as the pace on their balls made it difficult for the Blue Eagle duo to return the their shots.

The No. 2 doubles team has only lost one match this season. They were also competitive in the Freedom match which resulted in that lone blemish, said Berg.

At No. 3 doubles, Jordan Saliby and Erik Poon lost to the Nazareth tandem of Garret Snyder and Nick Ferraro, 6-2, 7-5.

Hazem Abdelaal and Nick Demjan were upended at No. 4 doubles, losing 6-0, 6-4 to Nick Mitchel and Brian Smith.

Finally, Clement Mei and Josh Mallory lost in a pro set to the Blue Eagle pair of Eric Miller and Sean O’Connor, 8-6.

Berg said that they still need to learn how to push through those tough matches, but they’ve made significant strides this season.