ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.  In a matchup between the USA South's two undefeated teams in league play, the Methodist men's tennis team suffered its first conference loss of the season on Tuesday at North Carolina Wesleyan University.  

JUST THE FACTS
Final scores: North Carolina Wesleyan def. Methodist, 6–1
Records: Methodist 11–4 (5–1 USA South); North Carolina Wesleyan 9–11 (6–0 USA South)
Location: Slick Family Foundation Tennis Center; Rocky Mount, North Carolina

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Monarchs were swept in the doubles round. Matthew Hurley and Decklan Rayner fell 6–2 in the top match, followed by a 6–2 loss in the No. 3 pairing for Cameron Roth and Drew Guarnieri. As the No. 2 duo, Ethan Carlyle and Harry Crokam battled their way to a 6–4 defeat.
• In the singles round, Hurley claimed Methodist's only win, taking down his opponent with set wins of 6–4 and 6–3.
• First to fall in the singles round was Carlyle, who dropped two sets of 6–1 in the No. 4 match. On the fifth quart, Christian Tihanovich was the next to suffer defeat, falling in sets of 6–0 and 6–1. Anton McCloskey faced a similar fate in the No. 3 singles contest, taking one game in the first set before dropping the second 6–0.
• In the No. 2 match, Crokam fell in two long sets that ended in scores of 6–1 and 6–2. In the sixth matchup, Guarnieri challenged his opponent in the first set with a 6–4 loss, then forced a tiebreaker in the second set. Guarnieri ultimately lost the tiebreaker 7–4.

UP NEXT
The Monarchs have completed all league matches but will play one more non–conference contest on Monday, April 21 when they travel to Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte for a 3 p.m. match.