BELMONT, NC - The Belmont Abbey men's tennis team fought Catawba to the end, but fell just short of a win, as it took a 5-4 loss this afternoon.  The Crusaders move to 17-11 on the season, while the Indians improve to 12-11.

When the Senior Day celebrations closed, and the teams took to the courts, seniors Juan Baez and Nikhil Reddy Amaresh played alongside one another at #3 doubles in their final match at the Reidy Tennis Center.  They pulled off an 8-6 win.

Baez would go on to play at #1 singles, where he won the first set, and went to a tiebreaker.  Unfortunately, Catawba won the tiebreaker, and took that match.  The Crusaders also had some strong perfromances by their freshmen.  George Barfoot got a convincing 6-1, 6-3 victory at #3 singles, while Zachary Blythe, at the #4 spot, earned a solid 6-3, 6-3 win.  Carlos Nolasco capped off the Abbey scoring with a 6-1, 7-5 win at #5 singles.

Singles
1. Michael Patch (CAT) def. Juan Baez (BAC) 6-7, 6-4, 7-6
2. Luca Picci (CAT) def. James Delaney (BAC) 6-3, 6-2
3. George Barfoot (BAC) def. Lucas Miller (CAT) 6-1, 6-3
4. Zachary Blythe (BAC) def. Ryen Reid (CAT) 6-3, 6-3
5. Carlos Nolasco (BAC) def. Cason Hiers (CAT) 6-1, 7-5
6. Adam Rocko (CAT) def. Nikhil Reddy Amaresh (BAC) 6-1, 6-7, 6-1

Doubles
1. Michael Patch/Luca Picci (CAT) def. Zachary Blythe/Grant Goldin (BAC) 8-5
2. Cason Hiers/Ryen Reid (CAT) def. Jacob Andress/Carlos Nolasco (BAC) 8-2
3. Juan Baez/Nikhil Reddy Amaresh (BAC) def. Iago Nunez/Brad Smethurst (CAT) 8-6

The Abbey will next play on Saturday, April 8, when it will visit Johnson C. Smith at 10 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. match at conference opponent Pfeiffer.