FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. Methodist men's tennis welcomed North Carolina Wesleyan College to the Clayton Tennis Center Tuesday afternoon for an 18-match marathon. The teams played in six doubles matches and 12 singles bouts, splitting the Nos. 1-3 doubles and Nos. 1-6 singles into one match and playing out the remaining doubles and singles flights in a second match.
The Battling Bishops eked out a 5-4 win in the first match, then capped their day with an 8-1 defeat of the Monarchs in the evening match.
JUST THE FACTS
Final scores: N.C. Wesleyan def. Methodist 5-4; N.C. Wesleyan def. Methodist 8-1
Records: Methodist 4-11, N.C. Wesleyan 12-2
Location: Clayton Tennis Center; Fayetteville, N.C.
MARATHON NOTES
- The goal of the long afternoon was to get as many players on the two rosters some court time in competitive situations.
- In the opening match, NCW grabbed an early lead taking two of the doubles flights, with Methodist's No. 1 tandem of Trent Harner and Coleman Baker earning a point with an 8-7 victory at 1-doubles over Max Robinson and That Holmes.
- The Monarchs and Bishops split during singles action, allowing NCW to hang on for the narrow victory.
- Henry Murray picked up an early point with a 6-1, 7-5 win at the 2-singles spot. NCW, however, earned the next wins at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 to clinch the match.
- Still on the court battling, though the match result had been decided, were Jordan Theron at No. 1 and Trent Harner at No. 3.
- Harner won his opening set, 6-3, but NCW's Robinson was able to square their match with a 7-5 second-set win. Harner was able to finish off the win in a third-set tiebreak, downing Robinson 10-8 in a back and forth battle.
- Theron had taken his opening set over Tshepo Mosarwa, 6-2, but needed more time to earn the second-set win, outlasting Mosarwa 7-6 to take the match at No. 1.
- The continuation of the marathon into the 'second' match leaned heavily in the direction of the Bishops, though the doubles results hinted otherwise.
- Hayden Wilfong and Kayhahn Alikhani earned an 8-3 win at 1-doubles, while Murray and Luke Laney were dropping a heartbreaker, 8-7, at No. 2.
- NCW surrendered just a combined total of 12 games over the remainder of the match, in stark contrast to the pair of earlier doubles bouts.
NEXT UP
- Methodist will welcome future conference member (in the 2021-22 academic year) Southern Virginia University in the first match of a doubleheader Saturday at the Tennis Center, taking on the Knights at 10 a.m. before playing visiting Pfeiffer University in a USA South Athletic Conference match at 3 p.m.
- N.C. Wesleyan will host Chowan University at 2 and 4 p.m. Thursday in a non-conference doubleheader.