NEED TO KNOW:
Match 1 Score: Carthage 6, Piedmont 1
Match 2 Score: Piedmont 4, Roger Williams 3
Record: Piedmont, 5-5

ORLANDO, Fla. - Piedmont men's tennis moved its record in Orlando to 3-2, coming away with a doubleheader split on Wednesday.

Although the Lions fell to Carthage, 6-1, in their first match of the day, they were forced to rebound quickly and found their footing in a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Roger Williams.

Match 1: Carthage 6, Piedmont 1

The Firebirds were a tall task for Piedmont to start the day, taking the doubles point before winning 5-of-6 in singles to win 6-1.

All three doubles matches ended with 6-2 scorelines. Unfortunately, Carthage was on the right side of two of them. Mark Backeberg and Rohan Kavali continued their strong play, moving up to the No. 2 spot and winning 6-2.

Singles play saw the Firebirds race to a 3-0 match lead with a pair of dominant wins before clinching at 4-0.

Backeberg was the Piedmont highlight once again, dispatching his opponent No. 1, 6-3, 6-4 to put a point on the board for the Lions.

Match 2: Piedmont 4, Roger Williams 3

With little time to prepare for their second match of the day, the Lions were up to the task.

Piedmont delivered a dominant doubles performance, taking the point and sweeping all three lines for good measure. Backeberg teamed with Leyton Dunn at No. 1 to win 6-1, followed by 6-2 wins from reigning CCS Doubles Team of the Week Horacio Rodriguez and Caleb McElveen at No. 2 and Amir Latipov and Kavali at No. 3.

Down a point and needing to claw back in singles, Roger Williams did not go away quietly, putting the first point on the board with a quick win at No. 6. However, Rodriguez answered with a point for the Lions, cruising to a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 4.

The team continued the back-and-forth as the Hawks won at No. 6 to even the match 2-2 before Kavali answered with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 3.

That set the stage for Backeberg to come through in the clutch, as the junior got the job done and clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph at No. 2.

Leading 4-2 and with the win in hand, Dunn battled but fell in a third-set match tiebreak at No. 1.

Up next, the Lions will conclude their Orlando trip with two matches tomorrow, starting in the morning against No. 3 Case Western Reserve.

TURNING POINT:
- Backeberg capped off his 4-0 day across doubles and singles by clinching the win against Roger Williams with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Backeberg is now 5-0 in singles and doubles on the team's Orlando trip. He has won six straight singles matches overall.

HOW TO FOLLOW:
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