CARY, N.C. – Senior
Sebastian Pino got in the win column twice for the North Carolina Central University men's tennis team in a 5-2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss to Morgan State on the final day of the MEAC Round-Up at the Cary Tennis Park on Saturday.
The Eagles won doubles, but the Bears roared back by winning five of six singles matches to rally for the victory. Morgan State leveled its overall record to 5-5 while starting league play 2-1 in the MEAC Round-Up. NCCU ended the three-day event with a 3-12 ledger on the season and 1-2 mark against conference competition.
Pino started contest with a 6-3 doubles victory with freshman partner
Oliver Saarinen. Pino and Saarinen won on court two, which leveled their record together at 6-6.
The senior duo of
Amit Baran and
Miles Clark then clinched doubles for the maroon and gray by outlasting MSU's top tandem in a tiebreaker. Play atop NCCU's lineup, Baran and Clark won their fifth straight doubles match by a narrow 7-6 score after prevailing 7-5 in the tiebreaker.
Pino netted the lone singles win for the Eagles in the second position in the lineup. Pino coasted to a 6-2, 6-1 triumph over Makkijha Brown. His fifth win of the season was his third consecutive victory.
The Bears won the other five singles matches in straight sets.
NC Central is next scheduled to play at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, on Thursday, March 24 at 2 p.m.
