MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat College men's tennis team returned home on Tuesday afternoon but came up short against Tusculum University, falling by a 4-0 final score. Despite several tightly-contested matches throughout the lineup, the Cavaliers were unable to secure a team point in the defeat. With the result, Montreat moved to 3-6 overall, while the Pioneers improved to 5-1 on the season.

Montreat faced an early deficit after dropping the doubles point. At the top flight, Joaquin Hernandez and Paul Saemann fell 6-2, while the tandem of Lucas Descalzi and Vitor Monteiro also suffered a 6-2 defeat on court two. The pairing of Youssef Idboufous and Fabrizio Moreno showed promise at position three, holding a 4-3 advantage before the match was left unfinished once the Pioneers secured the doubles point.

In singles play, Moreno competed at flight four but fell 6-3, 6-2, while Saemann dropped a 6-3, 6-2 decision on court five. Hernandez faced a tough challenge at No. 6, suffering a 6-1, 6-0 loss.

Elsewhere, three matches extended to third sets before being halted. At the top position, Monteiro's match stood at 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 2-2 when play was called, while Descalzi's contest on court two was 4-6, 6-4, 3-2 at the stoppage. Idboufous was also locked in a battle at position three, with his match sitting at 6-4, 3-6, 4-3 before being left unfinished.

Montreat returns to the court Wednesday, Feb. 25, traveling to Athens, Tenn. for a challenging road matchup against the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs of Tennessee Wesleyan University. Doubles play is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.