GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's tennis closed out a Monday doubleheader with a 4-3 win over Southern Conference rival The Citadel, after suffering a 5-2 setback earlier in the afternoon to Duquesne, moving to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in league action.
The Spartans took care of business against The Citadel after grabbing the doubles point. The team of Nico Grewe / Ollie Palmer came through with a 6-2 win over Willem van Zyl / Gavin Stewart to claim the first doubles win. That was followed by Hugh Knapp / Jack Burkill coming through with a 6-1 victory against Phillip Quinn / Noah Nawabi, giving UNCG the 1-0 lead in the match. The tandem of Ian Melnik / Roger Rogowski completed the doubles sweep with a 6-3 triumph over Will Graham / Roy Hobson.
Grewe laid claim to his second win against the Bulldogs as he downed Hobson by scores of 6-2, 6-4 in the battle of No. 1 singles. Knapp was responsible for the third UNCG point of the match as he emerged with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Nawabi.
Palmer came through with the decisive win (6-1, 6-3) by downing Jack Pyritz in singles play. However, The Citadel answered with three straight wins of their own. The first came in No. 4 singles, where van Zyl came away with a 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (14-0) win against Rogowski. Quinn earned his first win of the day by virtue of a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory against Burkill. Stewart picked up the final win (2-6, 6-4, 7-6 {4-0}) in a clash with Melnik.
Duquesne 5, UNCG 2
The Spartans struggled to find their rhythm as Duquesne came away with a 5-2 win over UNCG at Barber Park in the morning match.
The tandem of Grewe / Palmer emerged with a 6-2 win over Alex Mascioli / Jared Isaacs, but the Dukes came right back to claim a 6-2 victory by Alejandro Rodriguez / Dane Bendel, who defeated Eric Whisnant / Logan Blaser. The doubles clinching 7-6 (4-0) win came from the team of Drew Akins / Chris Corrao, who defeated Knapp / Burkill.
Knapp tied the match at 1-1 for the Spartans with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Rodriguez in No. 4 singles. Bendel quickly forged Duquesne back in front with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Cooper Wyett. Corrao stretched the Dukes' lead to two, 3-1, as he downed Nico Grewe by a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 margin.
Isaacs avenged a doubles loss with a 6-2, 7-6 win over Melnik in the clash of No. 5 singles. Palmer grabbed his second win of the match for the Spartans as he took down Akins 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Duquesne grabbed its fifth point of the day as Mascioli posted a 7-5, 7-6 (4-0) win against Rogowski in No. 3 singles.
The Spartans return to action on Saturday, March 9th, when they head to Daytona Beach, Fla., to face Coastal Carolina at 10 a.m.
