Results

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. - The Drew University men's tennis team passed its first test with flying colors at the NCAA Division III Championships, defeating Lancaster Bible College 5-0 in the opening round on Thursday at pod host North Carolina Wesleyan College.

With the victory, the undefeated Rangers (11-0) advance to the second round, where they will face North Carolina Wesleyan at 10 a.m. on Friday. NC Wesleyan received a first-round bye.

The win marked Drew's fourth victory in the NCAA Championships and its first since opening the 2013 tournament with a 5-2 win over Farmingdale State. It also extended the team's winning streak to 26 matches, dating back to the 2019 season.

The Rangers opened the match in impressive fashion, sweeping all three doubles matches 8-0. Sophomore John Dickey and senior Bryce Kennedy earned the victory at the No. 1 spot for their fifth victory of the season while graduate student Geoffrey Diehl and junior Bret Schuler prevailed at No. 2 to stay perfect at 11-0. Meanwhile, junior Dan Blumenthal and freshman Jack Polvere pushed their season mark to 5-0 with their win at No. 3.

Drew went on to clinch the victory with wins at Nos. 1 and 3 singles. Diehl cruised 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1, improving to 8-2 on the season while capturing his sixth-straight victory. Freshman Santo Carroccia registered a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 3 to stay unbeaten at 7-0 on the year.

Three of the four other Rangers captured the first set in their singles matches at the time that the match ended: junior Jeremy Gottlieb at No. 4 (6-2), Dickey at No. 5 (6-3), and Polvere at No. 6 (6-0). In addition, Blumenthal held a 4-3 first-set lead at No. 2.