HARROGATE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's tennis team knocked off 20th-ranked University of Charleston 4-3 in non-conference action Friday at the Lincoln Memorial University Indoor Facility.
The Pioneers (3-1) raced out to a 3-0 lead and earned the clinching point with two matches remaining to earn their first victory over a Top 20 opponent since beating 16th-ranked Queens 4-3 in the South Atlantic Conference Championship semifinals on April 16, 2021.
The Pioneers took a pair of doubles matches from the Golden Eagles (4-1), with Rhodri Atkinson and Will Gee defeating John Giesberts and Vicente Garcia 6-3 at flight two, and Nathan Matsuguma and Kenta Kondou beating Farhaan Patrawala and Marcelo Pinto 6-3 at flight three.
In singles, the Pioneers went up 3-0 as Kondou defeated Jowan Rawson 6-4, 6-1 at flight four and Nemanja Subanovic downed Patrawala 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 at flight two. After the Golden Eagles got on the board with a three-set win at flight six, Atkinson clinched the match for the Pioneers by defeating Giesberts 6-2, 6-3 at flight one. Charleston would win the last two matches to cut into the final margin of victory.
The Pioneers will continue competition at LMU on Saturday when they take on Young Harris beginning at 5 p.m.