Finally playing in temperatures more suited for tennis than football, the Lugoff-Elgin tennis team proved to be as hot as the weather as the Demons opened their Region 4-5A campaign on Tuesday by blanking Sumter, 6-0.

One day later, L-E upended host Gilbert, 5-1, in a non-region pairing

The wins were the third and fourth in a row for first-year head coach Jon Blevins’ troops which improved to 4-1 overall.

Against Sumter, the L-E sweep started with Spencer Hinton upending Tyler Smithhart, 6-0, 6-1, at first singles before Alex Hinton posted identical scores in thumping Drew Newman at second singles, 6-0, 6-1. The straight-set victories continued at third singles as Holden Roberts handed a pair of 6-1 setbacks to Frampton McCloskie.

Coby Morrison kept the shutout intact with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Logan Stanley at fourth singles. Andrew Boone had the easiest time of all as he downed Paul Gottshall, 6-0, 6-0, to close out singles action.

The Demons’ second doubles duo of  Xavier Hunt and Giordan Whitsett had little trouble with Sumter’s Daniel Gilman and Jordan Baker in a 6-2, 6-3 win.

In taking down Gilbert, Roberts managed to win a singles match-deciding 10-point tiebreaker to score a 6-1, 2-6, 10-3 victory over Adam Smith at third singles.

The Demons won all five singles pairings against the Indians starting with Hinton shutting out Dolan Hislop, 6-0, 6-0. Hinton then downed Drew Newman, 6-0, 6-2, before Roberts won at third singles. 

Morrison swept past Blaine Hardee, 6-4, 6-3, while Boone won in stright sets over Parker Shealy, 6-1, 6-3

Gilbert’s victory came in second doubles as Saylor Hardee and Josh Griffen handed Hunt and Whitsett a pair of 6-4 defeats.