CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.— The Montreat men's tennis team faced stiff competition in the semifinal round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament as the Cavaliers took on the top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs Thursday morning in Chattanooga, Tenn. For the second consecutive season, TWU put an end to Montreat's conference tournament run with a 4-0 final score. As a result, the Cavs concluded their 2023 season with a 7-6 record.
Tennessee Wesleyan (18-1) started the match with a 1-0 edge thanks to a pair of wins on the top two doubles courts. With 6-1 and 6-2 victories at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, the Bulldogs claimed the early edge.
Hugo Rodriguez and
Elisey Kalashnikov battled on the third doubles court, but their showdown ended in a 4-4 deadlock.
Luigi Moretti fought valiantly as he forced a third set against the NAIA's top-ranked singles player on the No. 1 court.
Jovan Slijepcevic also held an early 2-1 lead in his singles matchup on the fifth court; however, their battles never reached their conclusions. A trio of straight-sets triumphs at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 gave the Bulldogs a 4-0 team victory and booked their spot in tomorrow's AAC Championship match.
"We were of course disappointed with our loss today against TWU, but they are a very deep team and they fought hard for a well-deserved win," said coach
Nathan Fruh. "Even though we lost, we walked off the court today with our heads held high knowing we left it all out there on the court without any regrets."
With the 2023 season in the books, the Montreat men's tennis team now turns its attention to the offseason in the hopes of preparing for an even more successful showing next spring.
No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan University 4, Montreat College 0
Doubles:
1. Octavio Volpi/Nicolas Cortes Campos (TWU) def.
Luigi Moretti/
Anouar Braham (MONT) 6-1
2. Gabriel Ortiz/Ruben Busch (TWU) def.
Daniel Sanchez de Pedro/
Jovan Slijepcevic (MONT) 6-2
3. Jesus Fernandez/Zoilo Rios (TWU) vs.
Hugo Rodriguez/
Elisey Kalashnikov (MONT) 4-4, unfinished
Singles:
1. #1 Gabriel Ortiz (TWU) vs.
Luigi Moretti (MONT) 6-0, 3-6, unfinished
2. #12 Nicolas Cortes Campos (TWU) def.
Anouar Braham (MONT) 7-5, 6-1
3. Jesus Fernandez (TWU) def.
Daniel Sanchez de Pedro (MONT) 6-1, 6-2
4. Zoilo Rios (TWU) def.
Elisey Kalashnikov (MONT) 6-3, 6-1
5.
Jovan Slijepcevic (MONT) vs. Ruben Busch (TWU) 2-1, unfinished
6. Sabi Roi (TWU) vs.
Hugo Rodriguez (MONT) 3-1, unfinished
