NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 4, Covenant 1
Records: Piedmont, 13-11; Covenant, 13-7

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Piedmont men's tennis upended Covenant 4-1 in the CCS Tournament Semifinal on Friday morning and will now play for a conference title tomorrow morning.

With the match moved indoors to the McCallie School due to rain in the forecast, the Lions were undeterred, jumping on the Scots with a doubles point win and then winning three of the first four singles matches to clinch the victory.

After falling at the hands of Covenant in the first two iterations of the CCS Conference Tournament, Friday marked Piedmont's turn to come out on top, earning a right to play No. 1 seed Asbury for a championship Saturday morning.

No. 3 doubles turned out to be a preview of things to come as Mark Backeberg and Rohan Kavali trounced Gill Dunn and Jackson Orsega 6-1. While both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles were closely contested, the Lions needed just one of them to clinch the first point of the match, and the No. 2 team of Connor Phelps and Charles Parnell were up to the task, winning 6-4.

Simon Johnstone and Yannick Wassmer Navarro trailed 5-4 at No. 1 and their match went unfinished.

With only four courts available due to the venue change, No. 1 through No. 4 singles took the courts first. The first sets saw Piedmont and Covenant each grab a lead in two of the four matches.

CCS Player of the Year Ben Onufrock clinched the first point for the Scots, winning 6-2, 7-5 over Wassmer Navarro at No. 1 singles to even the score at 1-1.

However, that was the last point Covenant would get, as Bryce VanOrder rallied at No. 3 from down 3-0 in the first set to win a first set tiebreak and then cruise late in the second to earn a 7-6 (1), 6-3 victory and put the Lions back in front.

Minutes later, Parnell outlasted Caleb Domkowski in a nearly two hour three-setter 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to put Piedmont on the brink of a match clinch.

That win came from Backeberg, who battled back from dropping the first set to win the second and then clinch the match (5-7, 6-4, 2-2, retired) as his opponent was forced to retire in the middle of the third set. 

Rohan Kavali (4-3, unfinished) and Connor Phelps (2-4, unfinished) were just getting underway in their matches when the match was ended.

Up next, the Lions will take on No. 1 seed Asbury in the CCS Tournament Final. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Chattanooga Champions Club.

TURNING POINT:
- The Lions were able to capture the doubles point thanks to a big 6-4 win at No. 2 from Parnell and Phelps.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Sophomores Parnell and Backeberg each took home a doubles and singles win in the match.

NEWS AND NOTES:
- This marks Piedmont's third consecutive season making the CCS Tournament Final.
- The Lions took down Asbury 9-0 on the road last season with the exact same singles lineup it played in the semifinals.
- Asbury upended the Lions in Demorest on Senior Day April 5 by a score of 5-2.

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 Twitter: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, and Facebook.