COLUMBUS, GA. – The No. 14 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's tennis team put up a strong showing in singles play but ultimately dropped its road matchup 4-3 against No. 5 Columbus State on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Cougars jumped out to an early 1-0 advantage, taking the doubles point with wins on two of the three courts. At No. 1 doubles, Pedro Liborio and Janos Varga dropped a 6-1 decision, while Ben Brandl and Juan Cruz Blanco fell at No. 2, 6-2.  

North Georgia took control of No. 3 with a doubles victory from Franco Rebora and Marcos Castellanos. After falling behind 2-0, the duo rallied for a 6-2 win to give the Nighthawks some momentum heading into singles play. 

The Nighthawks split singles wins with Columbus State, capturing a trio of singles wins with a pair of straight sets. At No. 2, João Luis Silva won his first set 6-4 before erasing a 5-0 deficit for a 7-6 victory. 

Castellanos took care of business at No. 3 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Andrea Sandrone. Brandl delivered the final victory for North Georgia in a third-set tiebreaker. 

Columbus State claimed the remaining courts in singles to secure the team win. Liborio fell 6-3 in the No. 1 position before the match was retired. Blanco was defeated 7-5, 6-2, while Rebora saw a similar fate in a straight set loss 6-1, 6-4. 

The Nighthawks (11-7, 3-2 PBC) will wrap up their regular season at the end of the week with another road match against Middle Georgia on Friday, Apr. 17 at 2 p.m.