WALTHAM, Mass. – On a day when they honored their seniors before the match, the #31-ranked Brandeis University men's tennis team scored a dramatic upset victory over #16 North Carolina Wesleyan, as the Judges won five three-set singles matches to defeat the Battling Bishops.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 11-6, ranked #31 in Division III by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
• North Carolina Wesleyan: 13-8, ranked #16 in Division III by the ITA.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The match was tightly contested from the start, with all three doubles matches decided by one or two games. The Battling Bishops went ahead at #2, where Sean Keane and John Falke defeated the Brandeis senior duo of Hunter Levine (Weston, Fla. / Cypress Bay) and Simon Kauppila (Chesterfield, Mo. / Marquette H.S.), 8-6.
• Brandeis responded at #1 when junior Dylan Walters (Baltimore, Md. / Gilman School) and first-year Tommy Harrison (London, England / National Extension College) edged Luca Knese and Albert Sitwell, 8-7 (8-6).
• NCWC took the lead into singles with another match decided by a tiebreaker, as Augusto Roca and Diego Segovia topped junior Chen Liang (Shanghai, China / Shanghai Pinghe School) and first-year Alex Merson (Palisades Park, N.J. / Tenafly), 8-7 (8-0), to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
• The Judges' comeback started at #6 singles, where Levine knocked off Sitwell, 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.
• The Battling Bishops got their lone singles win at #3, where Segovia picked up a couple of late breaks of serve to defeat Kauppila, 7-5, 7-5, putting NCWC ahead, 3-2.
• Walters earned his second win of the day at #1 singles, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, over Falke, to tie things up at 3-3.
• Liang rallied from a set down, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3, to defeat Andy Fanzaga at #5, putting the Judges on the brink of victory.
• Harrison earned his second win of the match with the clincher at #2, coming from a set behind and defeating Knese for the second time, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).
• Merson avenged his loss to Roca earlier in the match with a 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 win at #4.
• The win represented the Judges' first of the season after trailing following doubles action.
• Before the contest, the Judges honored Hunter Levine (Weston, Fla. / Cypress Bay) and Simon Kauppila (Chesterfield, Mo. / Marquette H.S.), for their final home match.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis will compete in the UAA Championships next weekend in Altamonte Springs, Florida, with their opponent to be determined this week.