ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (May 13) – Making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2021, the No. 8 seeded Trojans were dealt a 4-0 loss at No. 1 seed Flagler in the opening match of the NCAA Southeast Regional on Monday.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's tennis program finishes the 2024 season with a 17-6 overall record after receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans delivered an impressive campaign under first-year head coach Jake McCartney, which included the second-most wins in a single season. Meanwhile, Flagler advances and improves to 18-2 after entering the contest as the No. 2 ranked program in NCAA Division II, according to ITA.
The Saints claimed the doubles point in the opening session with victories in the first and second positions. In the first doubles, senior Guilherme Zotin de Oliveira and freshman Kristoffer Dalbak dropped a 6-3 decision to Phillipp Lemken and Simon Malis. Sophomore Bram Poel and freshman Lenn Hoffmann fell by a 6-0 margin to Illian Borlee and Baptiste Mercier in the second slot. In the third match, sophomore Niklas Gruenefeldt and senior Adam Ibrahim held a 4-4 tie versus Makary Adamek and Max Berner before the match went unfinished.
Flagler secured the 4-0 win after winning three completed singles matches on Monday. In the second singles, Dalbak suffered a 6-4, 6-0 loss against Mercier. Poel fell by a score of 6-2, 6-1 to Borlee while sophomore Kabir Chhabria was defeated by a 6-1, 6-2 score versus Lemken. The three remaining contests were left unfinished after the Saints earned the match victory.
