The No. 4-ranked Emory men's tennis team opened play in this year's NCAA Division III Championships this afternoon, turning in an impressive performance in a second-round victory over No. 23 North Carolina Wesleyan College. The Eagles raised their overall mark to 15-6 following a 5-1 decision over the Battling Bishops who finished off their year with a 15-10 record.
Emory bolted out to a 2-0 lead after nailing down the opening two doubles points. The No. 3 team of Eric Halpern and Simon Lavoie-Perusse started things off by besting Johan Ljungdahl and Marcus Pola, 8-6, followed by the tandem of Jackson Isaacs and Ayush Bajoria earning an 8-5 triumph over Pete Hviid and Mikhail Konnov. The Bishops drew to within 2-1 when they captured their lone point of the match, a 9-8 win (3) by the No. 1 team of Robert Kjellberg and Artisom Prostak over the Eagles' Ian Wagner and Elliot Kahler.
Freshman Rafe Mosetick boosted Emory's lead to 3-1 when he manufactured a decisive 6-1, 6-1 win over Hviid at No. 4 singles, raising his record to 19-6 on the year. Freshman Will Adams then extended the score to 4-1 following a 6-3, 6-0 triumph at No. 6 against Pola. Wagner then came through with the clinching point when he topped Ljungdahl at No. 3, 6-3, 6-0, his 20th win this season in 24 decisions.
With the win over NCWC, the Eagles advance to Saturday's third-round where they will battle No. 17-ranked UT-Tyler (22-5). The Patriots advanced following their 5-4 marathon second-round victory over Whitman on Friday evening. The winner of the Emory – UT-Tyler affair will advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships, May 20, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.