ATLANTA, Ga. --- The 21st-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team fell to 23rd-ranked North Carolina Wesleyan by a score of 5-3 in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Emory University.
The Generals claimed a 2-1 lead following doubles competition as the No. 1 tandem of sophomore Taylor Shamshiri (Austin, Texas / ATA College Prep) and first-year Michael Holt (Henrico, Va. / Mills Godwin) posted an 8-6 win, and the No. 2 team of senior Hayden White (Baltimore, Md. / Towson) and sophomore Christopher Hu (Ridgewood, N.J. / Ridgewood) notched a 9-8 (7-3) victory.
However, things turned around in singles play as W&L managed just one win at No. 4 singles, a 6-3, 6-3 win by Hu.
With the loss, the Generals end their season at 18-6 overall. North Carolina Wesleyan improved to 15-9 and advances to play Emory in the second round.
Several individuals will continue play at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships held at Kalamazoo College on May 23-25. White will compete in singles, while Shamshiri and Holt will participate in the doubles competition.
Washington and Lee Tennis
N.C. Wesleyan vs Washington and Lee (May 09, 2013)
#23 N.C. Wesleyan 5, #21 Washington and Lee 3
May 09, 2013 at Atlanta, Georgia (Woodruff PE Center - Emory Univ.)
| Singles competition |
| 1. Robert Kjellberg (NCWM) def. Hayden White (W&L) 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2. Artsiom Prostak (NCWM) def. Taylor Shamshiri (W&L) 6-1, 6-2 |
| 3. Michael Holt (W&L) vs. Johan Ljungdahl (NCWM) 6-3, 5-5, unfinished |
| 4. Christopher Hu (W&L) def. Peter Hviid (NCWM) 6-3, 6-3 |
| 5. Mikhail Konnov (NCWM) def. Brian Krouskos (W&L) 6-2, 6-4 |
| 6. Marcus Pola (NCWM) def. Vincent Kim (W&L) 6-4, 6-1 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Taylor Shamshiri/Michael Holt (W&L) def. Robert Kjellberg/Artsiom Prostak (NCWM) 8-6 |
| 2. Hayden White/Christopher Hu (W&L) def. Peter Hviid/Mikhail Konnov (NCWM) 9-8 (7-3) |
| 3. Johan Ljungdahl/Marcus Pola (NCWM) def. Brian Krouskos/John Kirby (W&L) 8-5 |
| Match Notes |
| N.C. Wesleyan 15-9; National ranking #23; Regional ranking #6 |
| Washington and Lee 18-6; National ranking #21; Regional ranking #4 |
| Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,6,5,4,1) |
| NCAA Division III Championships First-Round Match |
--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University sports information department. ---
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