Box Score BOONE, N.C. - App State men's tennis fell to UNC Asheville in a narrow 4-3 setback on Saturday afternoon at Deer Valley Racquet Club.
The Mountaineers drop to 1-7 while the Bulldogs improve to 3-4.
App State won the doubles point but the visitors claimed four of six singles matches to clinch the victory.
Both duos who helped clinch the contest were playing as partners for the first time in the spring. After falling on Court 1,
Alessio Azzalini and
Alex Pavkovich defeated Quinn Fender and Finlay Ray McFadyen in a 6-4 triumph as the third duo in the lineup.
Giving the Apps a 1-0 lead was
Matvey Radionov and
Aleksandar Petrovic. The tandem on Court No. 2 earned a hard-fought 7-6 (7-2) tiebreaking win over Sira Daosaengsawang and Edward Colclough.
UNCA responded by winning the first two courts at No. 1 and 2 to go up 2-1. Winning his third straight singles contest and getting to 4-4 overall was Radionov, as he tied up the match with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 toppling over his counterpart, Daosaengsawang.
Zion Heaven improved to 3-3 after posting a second consecutive victory with two, tie-breaking set wins against Leo Bierbaum, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5). The win gave Appalachian a 3-2 lead and within one point of a win.
Both of the final two courts in singles went to three sets, while four of the six frames went to a tiebreaker. Despite UNCA winning both of the matches, Azzalini and Pavkovich gave the Apps a chance after coming back from a first-set defeat to force a deciding third frame.
After falling in the first set against Fender, 7-6 (7-5), Azzalini came back to force the third set, 6-3. The freshman fell in the deciding match, 6-0.
Pavkovich dropped the first frame, 7-6 (7-5) and bounced back for a 7-6 (7-3) second-set victory. The senior narrowly fell to Harry Thursfield, 7-5.
Appalachian will aim for a win tomorrow against Winthrop at 2 p.m. in a home bout at Deer Valley Racquet Club.
