(RV) Buffs Men’s Tennis Battles at Navy Gold Invite

Ryan Thomas, as the partner of Michal Curlej earned a doubles win and was part of Curlej’s perfect weekend at the Navy Gold Invite in Annapolis, Md.
Ryan Thomas, as the partner of Michal Curlej earned a doubles win and was part of Curlej’s perfect weekend at the Navy Gold Invite in Annapolis, Md.
October 14, 2024

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Over the weekend at the U.S. Naval Academy, the Milligan University men's tennis squad had a successful weekend battling against NCAA DI and JUCO programs at the ITA Gold Invite.

On Friday, the Buffaloes had two singles victories, courtesy of Michal Curlej and Gabrijel Kajic. Curlej downed a Loyola University opponent 6-2, 6-2 in two sets, while Kajic finished 6-0, 6-1 against another Loyola University foe.

The majority of the action happened on Saturday, with singles and doubles both in action. There were three Milligan triumphs in singles on day two, with Kajic defeating a Morgan State opponent 6-3, 6-4, Curlej finishing off another Morgan State player 6-2, 6-2, and Brayden Kennedy taking a 6-3, 6-0 triumph over a third Morgan State opponent.

Three out of five of the Buffaloes' doubles pairings came away with wins in their first Saturday matches. Ryan Thomas and Curlej grabbed a 6-4 win over a NCAA DI Georgetown pairing, while Marcos Moreno and Tomas Tenil came away with a 6-2 win over a Morgan State/Navy pair. Lastly, Matias Angulo and Martin Mercarder won 6-2 against a Morgan State duo.

The second round of doubles on Saturday included a pair of Buffaloes triumphs. Moreno and Tenil won 6-3 against a Loyola pair, before Angulo and Mercarder walked away with a 6-2 decision against a pair from Navy.

Milligan then had five singles wins to close out the event on Sunday. Four of those were against the U.S. Naval Academy, as Gonzaga Lafarga won 7-5, 7-5 against his opponent. Then, Moreno notched a 6-3, 6-4 decision over his foe, while Curlej finished his weekend sweep with his third win in three tilts. He won 6-3, 6-0 to dominate for the weekend. Angulo won 6-0, 6-2 as the final winner over Navy. The final win of the day came from Tenil against a Morgan State foe, which he won 6-0, 6-3.

Click HERE to view the full event results.

The men have continued to show strong improvement over the course of the fall, and the program that is receiving votes will be looking forward to showcasing their talent in the coming spring season against Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opposition.