MILLIGAN, Tenn. – Milligan University's men's and women's tennis squads hosted an Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) matchup against the University of Pikeville on Thursday afternoon at Mathes Tennis Center. It was a successful Senior Day for the Buffs, as both squads honored their seniors with victories over the Bears. Coming into the day, the (RV) men's team was tied in third place with Pikeville, and following a 5-2 victory, the Buffs now stand alone in third place with only one conference match remaining. The women's team also enjoyed a dominant performance, breezing past a UPIKE squad that consisted of four players by a final score of 6-1.

Men's BOX SCORE | Women's BOX SCORE

Pikeville brought only four players for the women's match, resulting in several forfeits that helped Milligan secure the victory. The Lady Buffs quickly earned the doubles point with Madison Berry and Melissa Duarte taking a 6-1 win in the No. 1 matchup to clinch the point. The No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches were not played due to Pikeville's limited roster.

Duarte fell in the No. 1 singles matchup by a score of 2-6, 3-6, providing Pikeville's lone point of the afternoon. Tara Stewart bounced back for Milligan in the No. 2 slot with a 6-4, 6-2 victory. Trinity Fox dominated in the No. 3 position, cruising to a 6-0, 6-1 triumph. Berry capped off a dominant afternoon with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout in the No. 4 singles match. The No. 5 and No. 6 singles matches resulted in forfeits due to Pikeville's roster constraints.

Milligan's men won a competitive doubles point to set the stage for the singles matches, winning two tiebreakers to secure the point. Michal Curlej and Martin Mercarder edged out a 7-6 (3) victory in the No. 1 matchup, while Brayden Kennedy and Tomas Tenil clinched the doubles point with a 7-6 (5) win in the No. 3 battle. Gonzaga Lafarga and Phil Schollhorn dropped the No. 2 match by a score of 4-6.
Once the Buffs earned the doubles point, they dominated in singles competition. Lafarga cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 win in the No. 1 position, while Curlej posted a commanding 6-0, 6-1 victory in the second slot. Schollhorn added a 6-3, 6-2 triumph in the No. 3 matchup, and Mercarder secured the team victory with a 6-1, 6-3 win in the fourth position. Tenil's No. 5 match was retired after dropping the first set 4-6, while Kennedy had another tight matchup in singles but fell 6-7, 5-7.

Next on the schedule for the two squads will be a trip to Knoxville, Tenn. for the final AAC matchup of the season with Johnson University where the men will look to lock up a crucial three seed in the conference tournament with a victory. The matches will take place on Tuesday, April 7 starting at 2 p.m.