RESULTS

CARY, N.C. – Sophomore Kert Kilumets advanced to the round of 32 with an opening-round victory and freshman Gabriel Cucalon picked up a consolation win in both singles and doubles action to highlight play for the North Carolina Central University men's tennis team in the USTA/ITA Carolina Regional Championship at the Cary Tennis Park this past weekend.
 
Kilumets – the 2015 MEAC Freshman of the Year – earned his triumph in the large 64-player field by knocking off a familiar foe in North Carolina A&T State University sophomore Dreshaun Jarmon in straight sets. Kilumets, who defeated Jarmon atop the Eagles lineup in a dual match this past spring, once again topped Jarmon in a dominating 6-0, 6-4 performance.
 
In his attempt to advance to the round of 16, Kilumets was only able to muster up wins in two games before falling to the eighth overall seed from the University of South Carolina in redshirt sophomore Gabriel Friedich by a 6-2, 6-0 score.
 
Cucalon made a big splash in his NCCU debut last month, winning the B singles flight at the HBCU National Tennis Championships. The rookie followed up that performance by once again finding the win column a couple times in his subsequent competition at the ITA.
 
After a loss to a Clemson University netter, Cucalon secured a straight-set conquest in the drawback portion of singles. Cucalon topped UNC Wilmington sophomore Andrew Torres by a mark of 7-5, 6-4. Cucalon was then eliminated in the consolation round of 16 with his second loss to an ACC opponent, this time at by a North Carolina State University racquet.
 
Cucalon partnered with senior Tamina Kienka in doubles and the duo finished the weekend 1-1. The tandem lost their opener in straight sets to a pair from Coastal Carolina University, but Cucalon and Kienka rallied in their lone consolation match. Cucalon and Kienka fought back from a first set deficit to defeat a team from UNC Asheville by a score of 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (8).
 
There were 31 teams that took the court in doubles play and NCCU's other team of Kilumets and senior Thomas Persico went 0-2. Kilumets and Persico did force a second-set tiebreaker in their opening match before falling to squad from the University of North Carolina by a score of 6-1, 7-5 (5). Kilumets and Persico were then eliminated from the drawback bracket by a team from the College of Charleston.
 
Consolation play was cancelled for the remainder of the USTA/ITA Regional heading into the final two days of winners-bracket competition, voiding out Cucalon and Kienka's second-round, drawback match against a Duke duo Monday.
 
NCCU will still have a chance to play Duke when duel matches begin in the spring semester. The Eagles open up the weekend of Jan. 30-31, visiting Davidson University that Saturday before playing the Blue Devils that Sunday.