GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Despite capturing the doubles point to begin the match, the Newberry College men's tennis team (7-9, 4-6 South Atlantic Conference) fell to the first-place, No. 30 Tusculum Pioneers (13-4, 9-0 SAC) 5-2.

Despite falling first at No. 3 doubles, the Wolves bounced back with two wins to claim the point. Sophomores Mateo Bivol (Bordeaux, France) and Laurenz Grabia (Altdorf, Germany) first claimed a 6-3 victory at No. 1 doubles followed by a 7-6 victory at No. 2 doubles by seniors Marcel Schomburg (Bingen, Germany) and Lawrence Friedland (Cary, N.C.) to secure the point. The Wolves' seniors took their tiebreaker 7-2.

The momentum did not carry into the singles portion of competition for the Wolves. Junior Enzo Blavignat (Bordeaux, France) first fell at No. 6 singles 0-6, 0-6. Despite a valiant effort at No. 2 singles, Schomburg fell in two sets to his opponent, 4-6, 6-7. The Bingen native fell in his tiebreaker 0-7. The Pioneers put themselves one point away from victory by defeating sophomore Joshua Fritz (Waiblingen, Germany) at No. 4 singles: 4-6, 2-6.

With the team's backs against the wall, Bivol, ranked No. 48 nationally, claimed a ranked win over Tusculum's Rhodri Atkinson, ranked No. 55 nationally, in two sets: 6-4, 6-4.

But the Pioneers secured the match with a victory at No. 5 singles over Friedland. The Cary native fell in two sets 3-6, 1-6. Tusculum added an insurance point by defeating Grabia at No. 3 singles in two sets 6-7, 3-6.

The Wolves have a quick turn around as they head to Hartsville, South Carolina for a matchup with the Coker Cobras on Wednesday, April 12. The match is set to begin at 2 P.M.