SALISBURY, N.C. (March 10) – The No. 24 ranked Trojans extended their winning streak on Sunday with a pair of non-conference victories over Emory & Henry and Catawba by 4-1 margins.
With the wins, the University of Mount Olive men's tennis team has won seven matches in a row and improve to 7-1 this season behind a 4-0 record on the road. The Trojans entered the ITA Tennis Rankings earlier this week following a strong start to the spring slate.
Against Emory & Henry, Mount Olive secured the doubles point after winning two of the three matches. Sophomore
Niklas Gruenefeldt and senior
Adam Ibrahim played in the first position and claimed a 6-4 win over Branson Smith and Kartik Parhar. In the second doubles, freshman
Lenn Hoffmann and sophomore
Oliver Winterhagen delivered a 6-2 victory against Nathan Spurling and Tristan Hicks, while sophomore
Kabir Chhabria and freshman
Hampus Hagglund fell by a 6-4 margin to Will Bayliss and Diego Alvarez.
In the singles session, UMO claimed three of the four finished matches to take a 4-1 win on Sunday. Dalbak played in the first slot and suffered a 3-6, 3-6 loss to Parhar before Chhabria rebounded with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Smith in second singles. Hagglund competed in the third position and produced a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Bayliss, while freshman
Kody Baker sealed the match win following a 6-1, 6-2 decision versus Spurling. In the unfinished matches, senior
Diego Ortega Cadahia held a 4-1 advantage in the first set in fifth singles, while Winterhagen trailed by a 2-1 margin in the sixth slot.
Against Catawba, the Trojans once again captured the double point after producing a pair of wins. Senior
Guilherme Zotin de Oliveira and freshman
Kristoffer Dalbak dropped a 1-6 decision in the first position against Edoardo Cecere and Ryan Little. Gruenefeldt and Ibrahim collected their second win of the day with a 6-4 victory over Tyler Juergens and Paul Dekester in the second doubles. In the third slot, Hoffmann and sophomore
Bram Poel delivered a 6-4 win versus Taketoshi Nanao and Sebastian Zabala.
In singles play, UMO claimed three of the four finished singles matches to complete the Sunday sweep. de Oliveira was dealt a 6-4, 2-6, 5-7 loss by Cecere in the first singles before Gruenefeldt battled to a 7-6, 7-6 win in the second position versus Juergens. In the fourth slot, Poel rallied to a 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 victory against Little. Ibrahim won in straight sets by a score of 7-5, 6-4 in the sixth singles versus Marcos Castares. In the unfinished matches, Dalbak and Chhabria both held a one-set lead.
The Trojans return to John Neal Walker Tennis Center on Saturday, March 16, to face Emmanuel at 11 a.m.
