Fredericksburg, VA - In a thrilling non-conference matchup between nationally ranked programs, the No. 32 N.C. Wesleyan men's tennis team came up just short against No. 15 Johns Hopkins, falling 4-3 on Saturday morning at the UMW Tennis Courts.

The Battling Bishops got off to a strong start, claiming the doubles point behind dominant performances on courts one and three. Luca Knese and Albert Sitwell rolled past the Blue Jays' top pair 6-1, while Bohdan Zhylchuk and Francesco Raparo matched that effort with a 6-1 win of their own at No. 3. Court two went unfinished with Brody Brice and Logan Stoltz leading 4-3.

In singles action, Knese and Sitwell continued the strong play, each picking up straight-set victories. Knese downed Chakor Rajendra 7-5, 6-1 at No. 2, while Sitwell took care of Marco Azar 7-5, 6-3 at No. 4 to give Wesleyan three points overall.

However, Johns Hopkins proved resilient, winning four tightly contested singles matches to complete the comeback. Dylan Blenkiron delivered a hard-fought 6-1, 7-6 win over Diego Segovia at No. 1, while Zahari Stoimenov and Mukundh Boopathi earned victories at No. 3 and No. 6, respectively.

The deciding point came on court five, where Bernardo Messineo pushed Allen Gong to three sets before ultimately falling 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.