Harrogate, TN - The Lincoln Memorial men's tennis team faced a tough challenge against Catawba University at the tennis complex yesterday afternoon. 

This marked the Railsplitters' 6th conference game of the season. At the halfway point of the regular season, the team holds a record of 11-6 overall and 3-3 in conference play. 

In the doubles matches, the #47 ranked duo of Harper Mills and Thom Hermans delivered a strong performance, defeating Catawba's Berne and Castares with a solid 6-2 victory in the #2 doubles match. The duo's impressive record stands at 7-1 for the year. Meanwhile, Alexandru Giurea and Sergio Sebastian Aranzeta Bonetaa faced off against the #35 ranked duo of R. Little and E. Cecere. 

Despite the efforts in the doubles, the Railsplitters lost the duos point to Catawba, heading into the singles matches down by a point. To secure victory, they needed to win 4 singles matches. 

In the #3 Singles match, Radu Florea dominated Catawba's T. Juergens with a commanding performance. Radu Florea swiftly seized control, claiming the first set 6-1 and maintaining relentless pressure to secure a convincing 6-1 win in the second set. 

In another notable match, Thom Hermans delivered an impressive display in the #4 Singles, securing a commanding victory over Catawba's A. Valletta. Hermans' skill was evident throughout as he claimed the first set 6-4 and maintained momentum to close out the match with a decisive 6-3 win in the second set, earning a crucial point for LMU. 

The #6 Singles match witnessed a thrilling three-set showdown between LMU's Sergio Sebastian Aranzeta Boneta and CC's M. Castares. Aranzeta set the tone early with a confident 6-2 victory in the first set. Despite Castares' resilience, Aranzeta held firm to secure a narrow 12-10 victory in the final set, clinching the match in a dramatic fashion. 

However, despite these standout performances, the Railsplitters couldn't secure points in the #1, #2, or #5 singles matches, resulting in a 4-3 defeat to Catawba. 

Doubles: 

#1 Doubles: R. Little / E. Cecere (CC) def A. Giurea / S. Boneta Aranzeta (LMU) 6-1 

#2 Doubles: H. Mills / T. Hermans (LMU) def M. Berne / M. Castares (CC) 6-2 

#3 Doubles: P. Dekester / T. Juergens (CC) def M. Roy / N. Goslar (LMU) 6-0 

Singles:  

#1 Singles: E. Cecere (CC) def A. Giurea (LMU) 6-1, 6-4 

#2 Singles: M. Berne (CC) def W. Jonsson (LMU) 6-1, 6-4 

#3 Singles: R. Florea (LMU) def T. Juergens (CC) 6-1, 6-1 

#4 Singles: T. Hermans (LMU) def A. Valletta (CC) 6-4, 6-3 

#5 Singles: R. Little (CC) def F. Battaglino (LMU) 6-1, 6-3 

#6 Singles: S. Boneta Aranzeta (LMU) def M. Castares (CC) 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 12-10