MONTREAT, N.C. — The Montreat College men's tennis team competed in a home Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) dual against the University of Pikeville Bears on Thursday afternoon. The Cavaliers came up just short in the match, losing by a final score of 4-3. As a result of the contest, the Cavs now hold a 4-9 (2-2 AAC) record, while Pikeville improved to 3-2 (2-0 AAC) on the year.

The doubles courts proved very successful for Montreat as it notched a clean sweep. Julian Stolevski and Paul Saemann delivered a commanding 6-1 win at No. 1. Lucas Descalzi and Vitor Monteiro followed with a tight 7-5 victory on the second court. Youssef Idboufous and Fabrizio Moreno also contributed with a 6-2 result in the third flight.

In singles action, Monteiro achieved a straight-sets victory, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 2. Meanwhile, Idboufous battled through to win 7-6, 6-1 in the fourth matchup.

UPIKE swung the competition in its favor with four singles triumphs. Ben Smith fell in the first flight without seizing a game. Descalzi faced a defeat at No. 3 by identical 3-6 set scorelines. Moreno was edged out 4-6, 3-6 on the fifth court. Paul Saemann engaged in a three-set match at No. 6, eventually losing 6-4, 4-6, 0-6.

The next challenge for the Cavaliers is another AAC home match, this time against Milligan University, on Thursday, March 26, in Montreat, N.C.