(RV) Buffaloes Men's Tennis Falls to No. 2 TWU in Valiant AAC Semis Battle

(RV) Milligan men's tennis fell to the top-seeded TWU Bulldogs in the AAC Semifinals on Friday, but showed strong resolve in the season's final match

Team Stats

Milligan (TN)

Tennessee Wesleyan

Score

Doubles

Agustin Gaia / Maceo Simpson def. Ryan Thomas / Michal Curlej 6-4
Octavio Volpi / Juan Carlos Garcia def. Thiago Petry / Marcos Moreno 4-4
Zoilo Rios / David Leon def. Brayden Kennedy / Tomas Tenil 6-0

Singles

Octavio Volpi def. Gonzaga Lafarga 6-2 , 6-1 , 0-0
Juan Carlos Garcia def. Tomas Tenil 7-6 , 7-4 , 4-0
Patricio Gallegos def. Michal Curlej 6-2 , 2-4 , 0-0
Chanon Phunsawat def. Martin Mercarder 4-6 , 0-2 , 0-0
David Leon def. Thiago Petry 6-2 , 6-2 , 0-0
Asier Pascual def. Marcos Moreno 6-0 , 6-1 , 0-0

April 11, 2025

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - On Friday morning, the (RV) Milligan University men's tennis program faced their toughest test of the season, facing the No. 2-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament Semifinals at the Champions Club in Chattanooga. The tourney's top seed ended up with the win over the Buffaloes, but Milligan put up a strong effort against a juggernaut opponent, winning or leading multiple singles sets.

In doubles, Ryan Thomas and Michal Curlej put up a stellar fight in a 6-4 No. 1 match loss, and the No. 2 doubles pairing did not finish, as Thiago Petry and Marcos Moreno were tied 4-4 against their opposition. The No. 3 match went the way of the Bulldogs.

For the singles competition, a pair of players either took or had leads in sets at the conclusion of the matchup. Martin Mercarder had a 6-4, 2-0 lead in the No. 4 singles matchup, while Curlej was in a 2-6, 4-2 battle in the No. 3 tilt. In the No. 2 matchup, Tomas Tenil went the full distance in a 7-6 set-one loss, before trailing 4-0 in the second set in his unfinished bout. Otherwise, TWU took the No. 1, No. 5 and No. 6 contests with relative simplicity to clinch the 4-0 win over the Buffs.

The loss will most likely conclude the season for Milligan, but it was a strong end to the campaign for the squad. Their showing against one of the nation's best programs is a building block for the 2025-26 team.