BANNER ELK, N.C. (April 12) – The University of Mount Olive men's tennis team suffered a 4-1 loss in its second-straight match of the week against the Bobcats of Lees-McRae on the road in Conference Carolinas action. 

With the loss, UMO drops to 10-8 this season with a 4-3 mark in conference play and has two league matches left on the schedule. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae improves to 7-7 overall with a 6-3 record in league action.

Mount Olive captured the doubles point after winning sessions one and three. In the second position, juniors Adam Ibrahim and Diego Ortega Cadahia fell short of Ezequiel Acre and Facundo Perlov with a score of 6-3. Third doubles consisting of sophomore Elios Briand and freshman Bram Poel replied with a 6-4 win against Sam Jones and Landon Church before senior Israel Rodriguez Rojas and junior Guilherme Zotin de Oliveira clinched the point with a 6-4 win versus Max Borisov and Martin Hlavacek.

The Bobcats sealed the win with four victories in singles play. In No. 1 singles, de Oliveira dropped to Borisov 6-2, 6-0, before Ibrahim was dealt a 6-4, 6-0 loss by Perlov in the second position. In the fourth slot, Poel fell 6-3, 6-3 against Acre, while Rodriguez decided the match with a 7-5, 6-3 loss against Hlavacek. In fifth singles, freshman Kabir Chhabria was at a score of 1-1 before play was halted.

The Trojans have two more conference matches on the schedule before the league tournament starts next week. The first one will feature Mount Olive and North Greenville on Friday, April 14, at 2:00 p.m. in Tigerville, South Carolina.