GREENWOOD, S.C. – The Newberry men’s tennis team took No. 4 Lander to the brink with a great team effort but fell just short, as the Bearcats eked out a 5-4 victory Wednesday at the Joe Cabri Tennis Center.

Richard Zeh
and Logan Adkins won their decision at No. 3 doubles in a 9-8, 9-7 thriller to put Newberry (4-2) on the board.

Edison Ambazumjan
was victorious at No. 1 singles 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Nikhil Mannepalli won a hard-fought 5-7, 6-4, 10-4 decision at the No. 3 position.

Adkins also took his opponent to three sets, coming out on top 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 at No. 5 singles.

The Bearcats (1-1), who are also the No. 2 ranked team in the Southeast Region, advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16 last season. Lander has made the NCAA Tournament in 23 of the last 24 seasons. 

Newberry has a short turnaround as the Wolves will face North Greenville (1-2) on Friday. The match is scheduled to begin at Noon. Newberry defeated the Crusaders 6-3 in the season opener on Sept. 24.