ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. --- The 25th-ranked Washington and Lee men's tennis team fell by a 5-1 score to No. 16 N.C. Wesleyan on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship.
The Generals' (17-6) team point came from the top doubles position, as senior Evan Brady (Glen Head, N.Y. / Chaminade) and sophomore Evan Erb (St. Louis, Mo. / MICDS) defeated Luca Knese and Albert Sitwell, 8-6.
The Battling Bishops (17-10) claimed points at the other two doubles spots to take a 2-1 lead into singles play. Diego Segovia and Sean Keane won at No. 2 by an 8-4 score, and John Falke and Augusto Roca prevailed, 8-6, at No. 3.
Knese and Roca added wins at No. 2 and No. 5 singles, respectively, earning both in straight sets and dropping six games each. The final win came at No. 6 by Andy Fanzaga, who defeated sophomore James Kurani (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence Day), 7-5, 6-4.
The three unfinished singles matches each favored the home side by a set, but the Generals were unfazed. At the top spot, Erb was tied with Falke, 5-5, in the second, while Brady was tied at two games each in the second set at No. 3 with Tshepo Mosarwa. Sophomore Eli Hirshberg (Alpharetta, Ga. / Johns Creek) marked the remaining W&L player, and he held a 4-3 advantage in the second after dropping the first set, 7-5, to Segovia.
The Generals conclude team play this season with a 17-6 overall record. Erb will continue his season individually at the NCAA Division III Singles Championship at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. His first round match will be on May 18.