Three-Match Winning Streak Ends
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Yale dropped the opening match of its trip to North Carolina on Wednesday, falling to No. 63 UNC-Wilmington 7-0 as part of the "Battle at the Beach". The loss snaps the Bulldogs' three-match winning streak.
UNC-Wilmington (11-2, 0-0 CAA) had a six-match winning streak entering the day and had outscored its opponents 32-4 in that stretch. The Seahawks kept that momentum going Wednesday by sweeping doubles, winning the doubles point for the seventh match in a row. Senior captain Calvin Bennett and junior Erik Blumenkranz came the closest to a win for Yale, falling 8-6 at No. 3.
UNC-W went up 2-0 with a win at No. 5 in which Kosta Blank did not drop a game. At. No. 1, UNC-W's Michael Pereira ran his winning streak to nine with a straight-set win over sophomore Marc Powers. A straight-set win by Rafael Aita at No. 4 clinched the victory, and UNC-W wins at No. 2 and No. 6 followed. Sophomore John Huang won the first set at No. 3 but dropped the next two to finish off the match.
Yale (6-6, 0-0 Ivy League) remains in North Carolina and will play Old Dominion in a neutral site match as part of the "Battle at the Beach" on Friday.
Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity
