MONTREAT, N.C. — The Montreat College men's tennis team grabbed an early lead over the Milligan University Buffaloes, a team receiving votes in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll. However, the visitors made a late charge to steal a 4-3 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) victory in Montreat, N.C. With the result, the Cavaliers moved to 4-10 (2-3 AAC), while the Buffs improved to 8-3 (3-1 AAC) on the year.
 
Wins at No. 2 and No. 3 helped the hosts secure the doubles point and a 1-0 advantage. Lucas Descalzi and Vitor Monteiro delivered a strong 6-1 performance on the second court, while Youssef Idboufous and Fabrizio Moreno finished with a 6-3 win in the third flight. Milligan avoided getting swept in all three pairings as the No. 39-ranked doubles tandem claimed a 6-3 triumph over Julian Stolevski and Paul Saemann on the main court.
 
In singles action, the Buffaloes relied on a 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Ben Smith at No. 1 to get on the scoreboard. Monteiro and Descalzi answered back with straight-sets sweeps to push the Cavs back in front, 3-1. The former dominated his clash in the second flight, cruising to a 6-4, 6-1 win over the No. 63-ranked singles player. Meanwhile, Descalzi seized victory behind a pair of 6-2, 6-3 frames on the third court.
 
Undeterred by their deficit, the visitors stormed back by capturing the final three bouts. Idboufous lost at No. 4, 1-6, 3-6. Moreno came up short in the fifth spot via two 4-6 sets. Saemann lost in the final matchup, dropping a 1-6, 5-7 decision. As a result, Milligan left North Carolina with a 4-3 conference triumph.
 
The Montreat College men's tennis team is right back in action tomorrow with another league clash, this time against No. 23 SCAD Atlanta. Doubles play is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.