SPARTANBURG, S.C.— The Montreat College men's tennis team headed south to Spartanburg, S.C. on Friday for a team dual match against the Converse University Valkyries. Battling against NCAA Division II opposition, the Cavaliers ultimately dropped their opening contest of the season, 6-1. As a result, Montreat fell to 0-1 overall.
 
Converse (2-0) swept all three doubles clashes to jump out to the early 1-0 advantage. Lucas Descalzi and Fabrizio Moreno won four games at No. 1, while Julian Stolevski and Ben Smith picked up a game on the third court. Joaquin Hernandez and Paul Saemann suffered a 6-0 loss in the second pairing.
 
Vitor Monteiro got the Cavs on the scoreboard with a tightly-contested singles battle on the top court. After falling in the initial set, 6-2, Monteiro bounced back with a 6-3 second set triumph. The Rio de Janeiro, Brazil native then outlasted his foe in the final frame, 11-9.
 
The Valkyries picked up wins across the final five singles courts, sealing their 6-1 victory. Descalzi grabbed seven games at No. 2, and Moreno wasn't far behind with six games won on the third court. Hernandez and Smith each picked up two games in singles action, and Saemann claimed one before withdrawing.
 
Montreat travels next to Lawrenceville, Ga. for the start of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) NAIA South Regional Championships. Individual bracketed tournament play is slated for Sept. 18-21 on the campus of Georgia Gwinnett College.