GREENVILLE, N.C. — Junior Miles Clark and sophomore Amit Baran teamed up for the only win for the North Carolina Central University men's tennis team in a 7-0 non-conference road loss at East Carolina University on Friday.
 
Clark and Baran survived a tiebreaker to clinch their doubles victory. The Eagle duo outlasted the ECU tandem of sophomore Simon Labbe and freshman Nelson Stafford 7-5 in the tiebreaker to clinch the narrow 7-6 triumph. Clark/Baran leveled their record together at 1-1.
 
The Pirates won the top two doubles bouts by matching 6-1 scores to secure the first team point.
 
ECU (1-0) then won all six singles matches to start its season with a team sweep.
 
The victors won the top four singles bouts in straight sets to clinch the team victory. Sophomore Thanos Spyropoulos had the biggest test atop NCCU's lineup with a 6-2, 6-1 loss to sophomore Diogo Marques, who is ranked 103rd for the Pirates in the current ITA national singles rankings.
 
Clark highlighted singles play for the maroon and gray with NCCU's lone set win. He forced a third set in his No. 5 contest against junior Wisse Jonker before losing in a superset 6-1, 1-6, 1-0 (10-7). Jonker improved to 32-11 in dual matches despite the tough test by Clark.
 
NC Central (0-2) will play another match at the ECU Indoor Tennis Center on Saturday in a neutral-site tilt against UNC Asheville at Noon.