GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College men's tennis team (2-14, 2-6 ODAC) returned to the McMichael Courts on Friday afternoon for a conference clash with Roanoke College (6-11, 3-4 ODAC). Despite several competitive flights and key shifts in the lineup, the Quakers fell 6-1 to the Maroons.
The match featured a boost for the Quakers as
Andres Mercedes (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) returned to the rotation. Additionally,
Brandon Howell (Knightdale, N.C.) made his season debut, competing at both the No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles positions.
Guilford opened the afternoon with a strong statement at the No. 1 doubles flight. The duo of Mercedes and
Emmanuel Oye (Clayton, N.C.) dominated their set, cruising to a 6-0 victory over Nolan Macedo and Ian Michel. However, Roanoke secured the doubles point by claiming the No. 2 and No. 3 flights with identical 6-2 scores.
In singles play, Mercedes showed no signs of rust as he powered through his top-flight match against Emiliano Ramirez, securing a straight-set 6-1, 6-1 victory to earn a point for the Quakers.
At the No. 2 position, Oye engaged in the longest battle of the day. After taking the opening set 6-1, he dropped a tight second set 7-5, eventually falling in a 10-4 third-set tiebreaker.
Alex Brown (Burlington, N.C.) also fought through a competitive second set at the No. 4 spot, ultimately falling 6-4, 7-5.
George Hardie (Liberty, N.C.),
Chris Kelley (Lexington, N.C.), and Howell all put up determined efforts in their respective singles matches.
The Quakers will remain at home for their final match of the season on Sunday, April 19th, as they host Shenandoah University at the McMichael Courts. First serve is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.
#GoQuakes
