North Central (Ill.) 5, Carthage 2
NAPERVILLE – The Carthage men's tennis team opened conference play on the road against the North Central Cardinals on Saturday evening. The Firebirds struggled to gain momentum before ultimately falling to the Cardinals.

 

In doubles play, Luca Okino and Victor Pimenta defeated Rafael Lessa and Phillipp Wottgen 6-1 in No. 2 doubles. The Cardinals evened the series in No. 3 doubles as Matt Crossland and David Vilaroig Martinez defeated Ethan Foucheaux and Francisco Silveira with a 6-4 performance. The Cardinals claimed the team point after Henry Ros and Andres Valverde defeated Finn Morris and Diego Silva in No. 1 doubles.

In singles play, the Cardinals extended the lead with a win in No. 5 singles as Ignacio Ruiz Hernandez defeated Linus Bangert 6-1, 6-2. Ros then defeated Silva 6-2, 6-4 in No. 2 singles to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. The Firebirds got on the board in No. 1 singles as Silveira earned a 6-2, 6-3 win over Wottgen. The Cardinals then claimed the team victory over the Firebirds as Vilaroig Martinez defeated Okino 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 in No. 6 singles. Morris claimed a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) win over Valverde in No. 3 singles, while Cyriac Cayuela dropped a 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-4 battle with Lessa. 


 
The Firebirds (12-3) return to action on Friday, March 27 as the team competes against UC-Santa Cruz at 7 p.m. in Lake Bluff, Ill. The Firebirds return home on March 29 to host Lawrence in Racine, Wis. at the LifeSport Athletic Club. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.