Rocky Mount, N.C. - N.C. Wesleyan's tennis teams opened USA South Conference play on Wednesday at the Slick Family Foundation Tennis Center, with each team sweeping its respective league opponent. Led by top-seeded seniors Sebastian Sikh on the men's side and Florencia Sorrentino on the women's side, the Bishops knocked off Methodist University and Meredith College both by 9-0 scores.
In men's action, Sikh and the 24th-ranked Bishops improved to 6-3 overall and officially began pursuit of the program's 10th straight USA South crown with their win over the Monarchs. Wesleyan swept doubles play as the duos of #1 Ioannis Brokakis/Roberto Puig (8-4), #2 Aditya Iyer/J.D. Telles (8-3), and #3 Sikh/David Chang (8-1) cruised to victories. Singles matches then saw NCWC post four straight sets wins with Sikh at #1, Brokakis at #2, Puig at #5, and Chang at #6. Iyer and Telles completed the shutout by each posting a 10-7 win in a third set tiebreak at #3 and #4, respectively.
In the women's match versus Meredith, Sorrentino picked up a pair of wins at the #1 seed, teaming with freshman Louise Hovhammer for an 8-1 win at top doubles before posting a 6-3, 6-1 victory in singles. The pairings of Talitha Rowan/Stephany Barbera and Giulia Zanetti/Nicole Halabi completed the doubles rout with 8-0 and 8-2 wins at #2 and #3. Now 2-2 overall, the Bishops did not drop a set in singles play, highlighted by perfect 6-0, 6-0 wins by Barbera and Hovhammer at #5 and #6.
Both teams continue league play this weekend at home, beginning with 11:00am matches with Greensboro College at Saturday's Youth Day event.