NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 7, Huntingdon 2
Records: Piedmont, 7-2 (1-0 CCS); Huntingdon, 1-3 (0-1 CCS)

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Piedmont men's tennis team took to the road and delivered a 7-2 win at Huntingdon to open CCS play in Montgomery, Alabama Thursday afternoon.

The Lions took two of the three doubles lines and won all but one singles line for the 7-2 victory. All five of Piedmont's singles wins were in dominant fashion in straight sets.

Newcomers played a key role for the Lions on Thursday, with half of the singles wins coming from freshmen.

Doubles action saw Piedmont's No. 2 team of senior Bryce VanOrder and freshman Rohan Kavali roll to an 8-1 win to make it 1-0 Lions before the Hawks evened the match at 1-1 with an 8-3 win at No. 3.

However, Huntingdon's momentum was short-lived as Yannick Wassmer Navarro and Charles Parnell took care of business with an 8-3 win at No. 1.

Leading 2-1 heading into singles, the Lions needed three matches to clinch. Those came in short order as Piedmont dominated in five of the six matches. Kavali won first (6-1, 6-0), losing just one total game at No. 4 to make it 3-1 Lions. Then, it was Wassmer Navarro's turn, as the sophomore from Spain improved to 5-2 in singles with a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 1.

Needing just one more win to clinch the match, the freshman Parnell delivered at No. 3, winning 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 to ensure the Lions a 1-0 start to conference play.

With the outcome decided, two-time CCS Player of the Week VanOrder (6-2, 6-0) and freshman Brent Sherman (6-2, 6-3) cruised to straight-set wins at No. 2 and No. 5.

Huntingdon was able to take a hard-fought match at No. 6 singles, winning in a third-set match tiebreaker 10-7 to salvage a singles point.

Up next, the Lions will return home and host a pair of teams this Sunday, March 3, including top-ranked Emory at 10 a.m. followed by Birmingham-Southern at 1:30 p.m.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Kavali, Parnell, Wassmer Navarro and VanOrder each picked up a doubles and singles win on the day.

GALARZA MAKES COACHING DEBUT:
- After competing at No. 3 doubles with Kody Dills to start the match, Piedmont senior Leo Galarza made his debut as a student assistant coach, helping the Lions take 5-of-6 singles matches and clinch the win. "I am glad I was able to get this opportunity since I will be a graduate assistant for the men's and women's tennis team at Emmanuel University in the fall of 2024," Galarza said. "It was great coaching these guys in this match and I would like to thank Coach Matt (Williams) for this opportunity."

HOW TO FOLLOW:
- To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont University Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on X: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, and Facebook.