Men’s tennis team faced a challenging stretch in Conference Carolinas play last week, dropping back-to-back matches to Chowan University and Francis Marion University to move to 6-4 overall and 0-3 in conference action.
The Panthers opened the week on March 18 at the Burrows Tennis Courts, where Chowan claimed a 5-2 victory after taking early control in doubles play. The Hawks swept all three doubles matches, beginning with Marcel Ungerboeck and Tadeo Missan defeating Emanuel Ferreira, first-year, and Tobi Teller, first-year, at No. 1. David De Simon and Terumasa Inoue followed with a win over Brian Karenzi, first-year, and Sebastian Ondas, first-year, at No. 2, while Thales Sette and Tadeo Sanchez completed the sweep with a victory against Emilio Munguia and Omar Martinez at No. 3.
In singles, Chowan secured four of six matches to seal the team win, but Ferrum found success in the middle of the lineup. Sebastian Ondas delivered a strong 6-4, 6-2 win over Thales Sette at No. 2, and Emilio Munguia battled through a pair of tight sets to defeat Terumasa Inoue 7-5, 7-5 at No. 4.
At the top of the lineup, Ferreira pushed Ungerboeck to three sets in a competitive No. 1 singles match before falling 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3. Chowan also picked up wins from De Simon at No. 3 over Teller, Missan at No. 5 over Karenzi, and Sanchez at No. 6 over Gabriel Alvarez to close out the match.
Ferrum returned to action on March 21 at Franklin County Recreational Park but fell 6-1 to Francis Marion despite a strong showing in doubles.
The Panthers opened with momentum, as Ferreira and Teller earned a hard-fought 7-6 (7-4) win over Boris van Ruiten and Koldo Zuniga at No. 1 doubles. The duo of Ondas and Karenzi followed with a 6-3 victory against Viktor Viraghalmi and Miguel Maia at No. 2, giving Ferrum an edge in doubles play. However, Francis Marion responded at No. 3, where Niklas Plath and Alexander Mirkov defeated Munguia and Martinez 6-1 to secure the doubles point.
In singles, the Patriots took control, winning all six matches to clinch the team victory. Van Ruiten topped Ferreira at No. 1, while Viraghalmi and Mirkov earned wins over Ondas and Munguia at No. 2 and No. 3. Brian Karenzi put together a strong effort at No. 4, taking the first set before Diego Vega Espinosa rallied for a three-set win. Koldo Zuniga and Niklas Plath added victories over Alvarez and Martinez at No. 5 and No. 6 to complete the sweep.
Now sitting at 6-4 overall, Ferrum will look to bounce back as conference play continues tomorrow at Young Harris College at 1 p.m.
