Men’s tennis falls in straight matches to Cumberland
In their official season opener, men’s tennis falls 0-4 to the University of the Cumberlands.
HARROGATE, Tenn. – In their official season opener, men's tennis falls 0-4 to the University of the Cumberlands.
After their exhibition on Thursday, men's tennis turned around to play Cumberland in Harrogate this afternoon and fell to the Patriots in straight matches.
"We played a tougher opponent than Thursday, and our level increased significantly," said head coach Nate Gangelhoff. "We still have a lot to clean up and fix easy mistakes."
Max Stollecker and Louis Keenan started off at first doubles with a 3-6 loss, while Wade Donovan and Giancarlo Rosario dropped their match at third doubles by the same mark. Leonard Baecker and Darko Kolevski were down 3-4 before doubles was cut short and the Patriots took a 1-0 lead.
Captain Leo Baecker made his first start at first singles and dropeed his match by a score of 1-6, 4-6. Max Stollecker in the two slot was fighting in his match before he was cut off by the force win from the Patriots. Stollecker had lost his first set 3-6, but turned the tide, winning 6-1 in set two, and was tied 3-3 in the tiebreaker before his match ended.
Wade Donovan played higher in the lineup than earlier on in the week at third singles. The freshman battled, getting games off of Cumberland, but eventually fell 4-6, 3-6. The Patriots were up 3-0 at this point.
Giancarlo Rosario was also battling in his match. The freshman fell 3-6 in set one but was racked up at 6-6 when his match ended.
Keegan Nelson struggled in the five slot, posting a score of 1-6, 2-6 while Boris Jordanov dropped his match at six singles 2-6, 0-6.
"The guys did what I asked them to do. Stay more focused and be disciplined better consistently," said Gangelhoff.
C-N returns to work next weekend when they host Montreat and King in back-to-back days at the Knoxville Raquet club February 13-14th and finishes their three matches straight with Young Harris on the 15th. For updates, follow @CN_Eagles on X and Instagram, or Carson-Newman Athletics on Facebook. Full coverage is also available at cneagles.com.
