The Longwood men’s tennis team recently faced a challenging match against Gardner-Webb in the Big South Conference, ultimately suffering a 6-1 loss on the Lancer Courts. Despite the defeat, Freshman Alejandro Hernandez secured a victory in his No. 2 singles match, demonstrating an impressive performance on the court.
In a thrilling three-set match, Hernandez emerged victorious over Gardner-Webb’s Alex Lepine with a final score of 2-6, 7-6 (4), 1-0 (4), earning Longwood’s sole point in the face-off. The remaining matches saw Gardner-Webb dominate courts one and two in doubles, and courts five, three, four, one, and six in singles, solidifying their lead and securing the overall win. With this outcome, Gardner-Webb’s record stands at an impressive 14-3 overall and 2-0 in the league.
Longwood’s head coach, Carlos Lora, commended the team’s resilience, stating, “Today was a tough battle for the men against a tough Gardner-Webb team. We competed from start to finish in the match on all courts. Now we wait to see where we stand in the conference as we continue to build forward.”
The day began with Eduardo Dias and Christian Van Wyk securing a 6-1 victory over Timéo Puech and Alejandro Hernandez in the doubles matches, setting the tone for the subsequent singles face-offs. Numa Lemieux-Monette and Jurie Terblanche also exhibited a strong performance by defeating Alexandro Uribe and Petar Belosevic with a score of 6-2.
Van Wyk continued his winning streak by outplaying Lorenzo Meschini with a solid scoreline of 6-3, 6-1 in the singles matches. Lemieux-Monette displayed his prowess by dispatching Belosevic with a score of 6-1, 6-4, and Kim Niethammer clinched another victory for Gardner-Webb by defeating Uribe with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Dias showcased his skill by securing a win against Puech with a score of 6-4, 7-5, and Terblanche closed the match with a 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (5) victory over Luis Reis.
With this defeat, the Lancers’ overall record now stands at 5-6, with a conference record of 1-3. Despite the setback, the team is gearing up to return to the court on Sunday at 1 p.m., where they will face off against Davidson at home.
As the team continues to regroup and prepare for upcoming matches, the Lancers are focused on turning the tide and showcasing their resilience and determination in the remainder of the season.