CLEMSON, S.C.— The Montreat College men's tennis team made the trip to Clemson, S.C. on Saturday to face a pair of nationally-ranked opponents at the Grizzly Invitational, which took place at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility. The Cavaliers squared off against No. 8 University of the Cumberlands and No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett College in a challenging day of competition. Montreat battled throughout both contests but ultimately fell by scores of 5-1 to the Patriots and 4-0 to the Grizzlies. With the results, Montreat moved to 3-5 on the season, while Cumberlands improved to 5-3 and Georgia Gwinnett remained unbeaten at 9-0 overall.
Montreat came up short in doubles action against Cumberlands, facing a tough challenge across all three courts. At the top position, Joaquin Hernandez and Paul Saemann ran into the NAIA's No. 14 pairing and fell by a 6-0 margin. Youssef Idboufous and Fabrizio Moreno competed at the third spot, dropping a 6-1 decision as UC secured the early advantage. On court two, Lucas Descalzi and Vitor Monteiro battled closely but were trailing 4-2 when doubles play ended.
In singles action, the Cavaliers also faced tough competition. Descalzi accounted for Montreat's lone point of the match, earning an impressive straight-sets victory at No. 3, 6-1, 6-2. Monteiro competed hard on court two but came up short in a pair of sets, 6-1, 6-4. At the remaining flights, Idboufous battled at No. 4 before falling 6-1, 6-2, while Saemann also suffered a 6-1, 6-2 decision in the sixth singles matchup. Ben Smith took on the nation's 23rd-ranked individual at the top spot, losing 6-1, 6-0. Moreno showed resilience on the fifth court, as his match ended unfinished due to Cumberlands having already captured the team dual match victory.
In the second contest of the day, Montreat encountered another stiff test against Georgia Gwinnett College, dropping both completed doubles matches to the nationally-ranked Grizzlies. At the top position, Hernandez and Julian Stolevski were defeated 6-0, while Descalzi and Monteiro fell 6-1 at No. 2. Moreno and Idboufous' effort on the third court remained unfinished once GGC seized the doubles point.
In singles play, Montreat struggled to gain momentum. Descalzi dropped a 6-2, 6-1 decision at the No. 2 position, while Moreno fell 6-0, 6-2 on court four. At the sixth spot, Hernandez competed hard but was defeated by the NAIA's No. 36-ranked singles player, 6-0, 6-1. As a result, the Grizzlies closed out their 4-0 triumph.
The Cavaliers look to bounce back at home against Tusculum University on Monday, Feb. 23. Play is slated to start at 12 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.
