Belleville, IL - McKendree University Men's Tennis battled through a competitive matchup but came up short against Missouri Baptist, falling after dropping the doubles point despite a strong push in singles play, falling 4-3.

McKendree opened with a win at No. 1 doubles as Bendix Schroeder and Ignacio Paolini earned a quick 6-3 victory. However, Missouri Baptist claimed the point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3, taking the early advantage. 

In singles, the Bearcats fought back with key performances across the lineup. Paolini picked up a hard-fought win at No. 2, rallying for a tiebreak victory, while Luka Kalenic delivered a clutch comeback at No. 4 with an 11-9 third-set tiebreak win. Mathijs Aalpol added another point at No. 6, also prevailing in a deciding tiebreak. 

Missouri Baptist secured the remaining courts, including straight-set wins at No. 1 and No. 3, along with a three-set decision at No. 5 to seal the team victory despite McKendree's late push.

RESULTS
Doubles
No. 1 – Bendix Schroeder/Ignacio Paolini (MKU) def. Luca Ebenriter/Nicolas Sanchez (MBU), 6-3
No. 2 – Strahinja Radanovic/Arkhip Tokmakov (MBU) def. Arhaan Pahwa/Riccardo Ercolani (MKU), 7-5
No. 3 – Ruslan Anurev/Omar Farahat (MBU) def. Luka Kalenic/Stepan Mach (MKU), 7-6, 7-4

Singles
No. 1 – Luca Ebenriter (MBU) def. Stepan Mach (MCK), 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 – Ignacio Paolini (MCK) def. Strahinja Radanovic (MBU), 6-3, 6-7, 10-7
No. 3 – Ruslan Anurev (MBU) def. Bendix Schroeder (MCK), 7-5, 6-2
No. 4 – Luka Kalenic (MCK) def. Samuel Sanchez (MBU), 1-6, 7-5, 11-9
No. 5 – Arkhip Tokmakov (MBU) def. Riccardo Ercolani (MCK), 3-6, 6-4, 10-5
No. 6 – Mathijs Aalpol (MCK) def. Nicolas Sanchez (MBU), 6-2, 1-6, 10-7

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
@ UMSL Tritons
Friday, April 10th - 2:00 PM
at Dwight Davis Tennis Center