MOUNT OLIVE (March 21) – The University of Mount Olive men's tennis team captured its first conference win by a 5-2 margin against Chowan on Tuesday afternoon at John Neal Walker Tennis Center.

With the win, UMO improves its overall record to 7-5 with a 1-1 mark in conference play. Meanwhile, the Hawks of Chowan drop to 0-12 and 0-2 in league action after falling to Barton in the previous week.

Mount Olive quickly earned the doubles point by gaining victories in all three positions. In the first slot, the No. 33nationally-ranked team of junior Guilherme Zotin de Oliveira and freshman Daniel Hammond defeated Santino Jose Sormani and Nikola Cvetanovic with a score of 6-2, before juniors Adam Ibrahim and Diego Ortega Cadahia upset Hesley Masara and Anesu Kwirirai 6-3 in second doubles. Sophomore Elios Briand and freshman Bram Poel registered a 6-3 win over Michael Correa and Alvaro Juscamaita in the third position.

In singles, the Trojans sealed the team win with four successful matches. In No. 1 singles de Oliveira overcame Kwirirai with a 6-1, 6-0 margin, before Ibrahim fell to Jose Sormani by a 7-5, 6-2 count in the second position. In the third slot, senior Israel Rodriguez Rojas suffered a three-set loss by a score of 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 against Cvetanovic. In fourth singles, freshman Kabir Chhabria defeated Masara 6-3, 6-1, while Poel captured a quick 6-0, 6-2 win over Correa in the fifth position. Ortega Cadahia finished with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 triumph against Juscamaita in the sixth spot. 

The Trojans will play two more matches this week beginning Friday, Mar. 24, against Converse at 2:00 p.m. at John Neal Walker Tennis Center.