FLORENCE, S.C. (Feb. 7) – In a regional match featuring a pair of NCAA Tournament programs from 2024, the Trojans suffered a 7-0 loss versus Lander in a non-conference neutral site match on Friday afternoon at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive men's tennis program falls to 0-2 this season and will return to the court on Sunday, Feb. 16, for a regional contest versus Wingate. Meanwhile, Lander improves to 2-1 overall after being picked third in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) following an 18th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
In the doubles matchup, the Bearcats clinched a point after claiming victories in the first and second matches. In the first double, sophomore
Kristoffer Dalbak and junior
Bram Poel lost to Harry Pugh and Brendan Jayaprakash by a 4-6 margin. In the second match, sophomore
Hampus Hagglund and freshman
Viggo Lindstrup fell by a 4-6 decision against Ludvig Danielsson and Benjamin Bates. Freshmen
Joao Matias Sonaglia and
Luke Oosthuizen captured a 6-3 win in the third double versus Max Barriere and Merlin Bellet.
Lander sealed the match win after taking all six of the singles matches. Dalbak dropped a 3-6, 2-6 decision to Pugh in the first position, while Poel lost his match with a close 2-6, 6-1, 3-10 margin against Bellet in the second slot. In the third singles, Hagglund battled in a 4-6, 4-6 loss to ElShafei before Matias Sonaglia fell by a 4-6, 3-6 margin in the fourth position to Naoui. Lindstrup dropped a 4-6, 0-6 decision in the fifth slot to Barriere, and Oosthuizen suffered a 1-6, 3-6 loss versus Jayaprakash.
The Trojans return to non-conference play on Sunday, Feb. 16, when they travel to play Wingate at the Wingate Tennis Center, starting at 2 p.m.
