ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.  Methodist's men's tennis team rolled into North Carolina Wesleyan College Saturday with a tall task ahead, squaring off against the 20th-ranked Battling Bishops in the Monarchs' first USA South Athletic Conference match of the season.

The host team had to battle through Methodist's challenges in the doubles matches but fended off the Monarchs there and in singles play for a 9-0 home victory.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: N.C. Wesleyan def. Methodist, 9-0
Records: Methodist 4-8 (0-1 USA South), N.C. Wesleyan 10-1 (2-0)
Location: NCW Tennis Courts; Rocky Mount, N.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bishops earned the first point of the afternoon with a win at 1-doubles, but the Methodist tandem of Wynn Johnson and Jacob Oehser proved troublesome for Ingmar Remmerswaal and Jhonny Acosta in the No. 2 spot.
• A service break was the only difference in Remmerswaal's and Acosta's 8-6 win over Johnson and Oehser.
• In the 3-doubles slot, Methodist's Hayden Wilfong and Kayhahn Alikhani also posed a challenge to N.C. Wesleyan's duo, but Jesus Gil and Adi Iyer eventually broke away at the end to steal an 8-5 win and provide the Bishops with a 3-0 lead heading into singles.
• N.C. Wesleyan won out in the six singles bouts, but Trent Harner at No. 3 was only a service break away in each set during his 6-4, 6-4 loss to Iyer.

NEXT UP

• Methodist hosts Pfeiffer University Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. in a conference match at the Price Tennis Center.
• N.C. Wesleyan breaks from league action its next time on the courts, hitting the road to take on Chowan University on Tuesday.