SUMTER, S.C. (April 26) – The No. 27 ranked Trojans secured a spot in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Championship following wins over North Greenville and Barton on Friday while competing at the Palmetto Tennis Center.
With the victories, the University of Mount Olive men's tennis program improves to 16-4 this season and reaches the semifinals of the conference tournament for a fifth straight season. The Trojans for a consecutive season eliminated Barton in the quarterfinals, as head coach Jake McCartney claimed his first victory over his alma mater.
Against North Greenville, UMO grabbed an early 1-0 advantage after securing the doubles point. In the first position, senior Guilherme Zotin de Oliveira and freshman Kristoffer Dalbak produced a 6-2 win over Juan Jose Arbelaez and Christo Timini. Freshman Lenn Hoffmann and sophomore Bram Poel delivered a 6-3 victory against Will Hernandez and Anthony Cassini in the third doubles.
In the singles session, de Oliveira rallied past Timini by a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 margin in the first slot before sophomore Kabir Chhabira won in straight-sets 6-3, 6-1 versus Jose Arbelaez. In the sixth position, freshman Hampus Hagglund posted a 6-3, 6-0 victory against Cassini, as the Trojans clinched the 4-0 win.
Against Barton, Mount Olive once again captured the doubles point following victories in the first and second positions. de Oliveira and Dalbak delivered a 6-2 win versus Johan Holgersson and Wilhelm Karlsson, while Poel and Hoffmann registered a 6-3 victory over Hannes Tylehed and Guillem Busquets Brau.
In the singles portion, sophomore Niklas Gruenefeldt produced a 6-2, 6-3 win against Aditya Chauhan in the third slot. In the fourth position, Poel won in straight-sets 6-2, 6-2 against Busquets Brau while Chhabria recorded a 6-3, 6-0 decision over Furtado Brlenic. The Bulldogs registered their lone point in a sixth-position win, as UMO collected a 4-1 victory.
The Trojans will return to the courts tomorrow, Saturday, April 27, to face No. 1 seeded Young Harris in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Championship, starting at 9 a.m.
