CARY, N.C. – A complete team performance powered North Carolina Central men's tennis to a shutout victory over North Carolina Wesleyan on Friday afternoon at Cary Tennis Park, earning the Eagles their second win of the season.

NCCU (2-4) took the first point with victories in No. 2 and 3 doubles. Pol Puig Montiel and Leo Fortier-Gariepy struck first with a 6-3 win at No. 3, but with NC Wesleyan winning the No. 1 position, doubles would come down to Antoni Pankowski and Naresh Bharathy. The duo stood tall, defeating Albert Sitwell and Diego Villafane 7-6, winning the tiebreak 7-5 to clinch the doubles point.

In singles play, Santiago Pinna, Rodrigo Alves, Bharathy and Puig Montiel each earned straight-set victories to put the Eagles firmly in control.

Pankowski and Fortier-Gariepy faced tougher challenges at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively. After taking the opening set, Pankowski found himself locked in a 6-6 tie in the second. The junior prevailed in an 8-6 tiebreak to secure the match in straight sets.

Fortier-Gariepy rallied after dropping his first set, forcing back-to-back tiebreakers. He claimed the second set 7-6 (7-1) before sealing the match with a thrilling 12-10 tiebreak victory.

Lucas Artigas and Neiman Sneed also competed in consolation matches. Artigas posted a 6-2, 7-5 win, while Sneed completed a comeback after dropping the first set to wrap up the afternoon for the Eagles.

NCCU returns to Cary Tennis Park on Sunday, Feb. 22 to face Davidson at 12 p.m.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.