HARROGATE, Tenn.— The Montreat men's tennis team continued its start to the season with another matchup against an NCAA opponent. After facing a Division I foe last week, the Cavaliers took on Division II Lincoln Memorial University Friday afternoon in Harrogate, Tenn. The Railsplitters ultimately claimed the showdown, 7-0, dropping the Cavs to 0-2 on the year.
 
Lincoln Memorial (8-1) jumped out to a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard by securing the doubles point. Youssef Idboufous and Daniel Garcia Estrabot teamed up for a thrilling 7-6 (8-6) win on the second court, but the hosts snatched 6-0 and 6-1 triumphs on the first and third courts, respectively.
 
Swift two-set sweeps in the top three matchups gave the Railsplitters what they needed for the overall team victory. Montreat made the home side work quite hard across the final three courts, however. Playing at No. 5, Jorge Cebria won seven games as he dropped a tight 7-5 initial frame. Bruno-Casimir Gehlhaar nearly claimed his initial set on the sixth court, losing 7-6 following a 7-5 tiebreak.
 
Ibai Lopez came the closest to a win in singles play, forcing a decisive third frame by rebounding from his 6-2 opening set loss with a 6-4 second set triumph. Ultimately, Lopez fell in three sets after a 10-5 final frame.
 
Montreat battles another NCAA institution on Tuesday when it travels to Belmont, N.C. for a clash with Belmont Abbey College. Start time is expected to be 1 p.m.