MILLIGAN, Tenn.— The Montreat men's tennis team dropped its first match of the 2023 season, traveling on the road and falling to the Milligan University Buffaloes by a score of 4-3. Due to the result, the Cavs moved to 2-1 both overall and in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play.
 
Milligan (4-6, 2-2 AAC) opened the scoring by taking a contested doubles point. Montreat's duo of Luigi Moretti and Anouar Braham won 6-2 at No. 1, but the Buffaloes answered with triumphs at No. 2 and No. 3, including a 7-6 (10-4) tiebreak win to clinch the doubles point in the second slot.
 
The home side extended its advantage to two with a win at No. 6 singles before Elisey Kalashnikov brought the Cavaliers within a point thanks to his 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 3. Despite the Russian's victory, Milligan notched wins at No. 4 and No. 5 to tilt the matchup in the Buffaloes' favor for good.
 
Although the match was decided, Braham and Moretti each captured triumphs in their singles slots. Playing at No. 2, Braham tallied a 6-4 first-set win prior to securing the Cavs' second team point with a 6-0 result in the third set. Moretti also went three sets but rebounded after a 7-5 loss in the first set to finish the match with a 4-3 final following 6-1 and 6-2 performances in the second and third sets, respectively.

"It was a tough match today against Milligan," said coach Nathan Fruh. "We missed a few key opportunities in doubles that ended up costing us. We have some work to do, but we are going to use today's loss to motivate us to work harder on the court and learn from our mistakes."
 
Men's tennis looks to begin another winning streak when the 18^th-ranked Cavaliers take on the Columbia College Koalas and Point University Skyhawks in Columbia, S.C. on Saturday. Match time between the Cavs and Skyhawks is slated for 10:00 a.m., while the latter contest is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
 

Milligan University 4, #18 Montreat College 3
Doubles:
1. Luigi Moretti/Anouar Braham (MONT) def. Derian Janeke/Ryan Thomas (MU) 6-2
2. Marcos Moreno/Gabrijel Kajic (MU) def. Elisey Kalashnikov/Hugo Rodriguez (MONT) 7-6 (10-4)
3. Justin Rigsby/Juan Camilo Burgos (MU) def. Daniel Sanchez de Pedro/Jose Tomala (MONT) 6-3
Order of finish: 1,3,2
 
Singles:
1. Luigi Moretti (MONT) def. Carter Rigsby (MU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
2. Anouar Braham (MONT) def. Krishan Teneja (MU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-0
3. Elisey Kalashnikov (MONT) def. Gabrijel Kajic (MU) 6-3, 6-1
4. Marcos Moreno (MU) def. Jovan Slijepcevic (MONT) 6-1, 6-1
5. Ryan Thomas (MU) def. Daniel Sanchez de Pedro (MONT) 6-0, 6-3
6. Nathan Smiley (MU) def. Hugo Rodriguez (MONT) 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: 6,3,5,4,2,1