GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College men's tennis team (0-2, 0-0 ODAC) opened its spring season Saturday afternoon, hosting the Lions of Piedmont University (1-1, 0-0 CCS) at the McMichael Courts. Despite competitive efforts throughout the lineup, the Quakers fell 6-1 in the non-conference matchup.
Guilford battled in doubles play to begin the afternoon, with
Emmanuel Oye (Clayton, N.C.) and
Andres Mercedes (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) anchoring the top flight with a 6-4 win over the Piedmont duo of Mark Backeberg and Rohan Kavali. The Lions ultimately secured the doubles point, taking two of the three matches to carry a 1-0 advantage into singles action.
In singles competition, Mercedes led the charge for the Quakers, earning Guilford's lone point of the contest with a determined performance (6-1, 6-1) over Piedmont's Charles Parnell.
Oye,
Chris Kelley (Lexington, N.C.),
Turner Johnson (Oak Ridge, N.C.),
Alex Brown (Burlington, N.C.), and
George Hardie (Liberty, N.C.) each fought through challenging matches against a deep Piedmont lineup, as the Quakers gained valuable early-season experience, showing resilience across the courts.
Guilford returns to the McMichael Courts on Wednesday, February 18, when they host the Crusaders of Belmont Abbey College at 2:00 p.m.
#GoQuakes
