FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Two days after recording the men’s tennis program’s first-ever win over Davidson, North Carolina A&T won for the first time ever against The Citadel.
The Aggies defeated the Bulldogs 5-2 at the Gene Clayton Tennis Center on the campus of Methodist University, Monday. It marked the first time in 12 meetings the Aggies earned a win over The Citadel.
A&T started by winning the doubles point. The Citadel won at No. 2 doubles after Zvonko Bencedic and Sebastian Kamienieck defeated freshmen Eder Blanco and Jorge Perez 6-2. The Aggies got even at No. 3 doubles as freshmen Ian Pedersen and Ethan Baly defeated Everett Barkley and Josiah Schainblatt 6-3.
N.C. A&T clinched the doubles point after junior Esteban Lopez and senior Vasil Ivanov defeated Lucas Robins and Hayden Shoemake 6-4 at No. 1. N.C. A&T’s first singles win came when Blanco defeated Schainblatt 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 singles.
Ivanov followed with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Zvonko Bencedic at No. 2 singles.
The Citadel scored its first singles win after Robins defeated Baly 7-6, 6-4 at the No. 4, but Lopez clinched the match for the Aggies at No. 1 singles. Shoemake won the first set 6-2, but Lopez won the second set 6-2 and the third set 6-1 for his fourth consecutive singles win.
Kamienieck defeated Perez 6-1, 6-4 at No. 5, but Pedersen defeated Bradey Minnich 6-1, 6-4 at No. 6 for the Aggies fifth point.
The Aggies host Morgan State Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Dudley High School before returning to the Big South for the next three matches.