NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Covenant 5, Piedmont 4
Records: Covenant, 13-5; Piedmont, 8-11

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. - The Piedmont men's tennis team dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker at Covenant in the USA South West Division Championship Friday evening.

The Lions were able to split the six singles lines but the Scots came out on top thanks to taking two of the three doubles lines.

Covenant began the match by winning the matches at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles by 8-3 final tallies. However, the Lions were able to salvage a doubles point as the No. 1 team of SILAS SANDLES and ROMAN WEBB emerged victorious in a tiebreaker 8-7 (4). 

The momentum continued for the Lions as CHASE MORRIS won his match at No. 4 singles, 6-4, 6-4 to even the match 2-2 before Sandles gave them the lead, rolling to a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles.

The back-and-forth continued as the Scots' Austin Dreslinski cruised in two sets at No. 2 singles to once again even the score, this time at 3-all.

Then, after the Scots pulled ahead 4-3 with a win at No. 1 singles, Piedmont's PATRICK DEMPSEY rallied from dropping the first set, 6-3, to win the second and third by the same margin and even the match at 4-4.

That left things up to the match at No. 3, where CHRIS BALE took the first set, 6-0. However, Covenant's Ethan Gibson responded by taking the second set, 7-5, before taking the deciding set, 6-2, helping the Scots advance to the USA South Tournament Final.

The loss concludes the Piedmont men's tennis season with an 8-11 record.

TURNING POINT:
- Covenant's Ethan Gibson turned the match toward the Scots, rallying from dropping the first to win the second and third to clinch the match.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Sandles concluded his debut season for the Lions in style, picking up a doubles win in a breaker before rolling to a two-set singles win at No. 5.

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