RADFORD, Va. – For the fourth time in as many matches, No. 56 Radford recorded a shutout by defeating in-state foe James Madison 7-0 in men's tennis action Wednesday afternoon at the RU Tennis Courts.

The victory was the 33rd straight at home for the Highlanders as they conclude the 2009 regular season 18-3 overall, while JMU falls to 7-14. 

Highlighted by Martin Sayer (Hong Kong/Sagemont Virtual) and Zack Watson's (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite) convincing 8-0 victory at the top spot, Radford claimed the doubles point for the 18th time this season. The win was the 10th in the last 11 matches for the 48th ranked duo as they improved to a team-best 17-2.

Ivan Salec (Oroslavje, Croatia/Oroslavje Secondary) and Mehdi Benhammou (Rabat, Morocco/Descartes) clinched the point for the Highlanders with an 8-4 decision on court two over Jared Robinson and Brian Rubenstein. Salec and Benhammou upped their doubles record to 17-3 with their 11th straight victory.

At the No. 3 doubles position, Igor Ogrizek (Daruvar, Croatia/Birotechnika Grammar) and Stefan Bojic (Novi Sad, Serbia) secured the 12th doubles sweep of the season for Radford with an 8-3 defeat of Yaroslav Voznenko and Ville Maaranen.

Playing in the final home match of their careers, Benhammou (6-0, 6-1) and Sayer (6-2, 6-1) went out in impressive fashion with convincing straight-set wins at positions four and one, respectively, to give Radford a 3-0 advantage.

Benhammou (15-5) extended his winning streak to six straight, while Sayer, the 90th ranked player in the nation, won his 12th consecutive match to improve to 19-2 on the campaign.

Along with Benhammou and Sayer, James Lloyd (Cobham, Surrey, England), whose eligibility expired in January, was honored prior to the dual.

Bojic became the sixth Highlander to record double-digit wins this season thanks to a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Rubenstein.

In the final two singles matches of the afternoon, Ogrizek and Watson also recorded straight-set wins to give Radford its eighth shutout of the spring.

The nationally-ranked Highlanders will enjoy an eight-day break before returning to the courts at the 2009 Big South Championships in Rock Hill, S.C. Radford, the two-time defending champions, will receive a first-round bye and begin its title defense Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m.

#56 Radford University 7, James Madison 0
Singles competition
1. #90 SAYER, Martin (RADFORD) def. ROBINSON, Jared (JMU) 6-2, 6-1
2. SALEC, Ivan (RADFORD) def. SMITH, Mike (JMU) 6-3, 6-1
3. BOJIC, Stefan (RADFORD) def. RUBENSTEIN, Brian (JMU) 6-3, 6-3
4. BENHAMMOU, Mehdi (RADFORD) def. MAARANEN, Ville (JMU) 6-0, 6-1
5. OGRIZEK, Igor (RADFORD) def. VOZNENKO, Yaroslav (JMU) 6-2, 6-1
6. WATSON, Zack (RADFORD) def. ARMES, Chris (JMU) 6-0, 6-1 

Doubles competition
1. #48 SAYER, Martin/WATSON, Zack (RADFORD) def. KING, Matt/SMITH, Mike (JMU) 8-0
2. SALEC, Ivan/BENHAMMOU, Mehdi (RADFORD) def. RUBENSTEIN, Brian/ROBINSON, Jared (JMU) 8-4
3. OGRIZEK, Igor/BOJIC, Stefan (RADFORD) def. VOZNENKO, Yaroslav/MAARANEN, Ville (JMU) 8-3

Match Notes:
James Madison 7-14
Radford University 18-3; National ranking #56
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (4,1,3,2,5,6)