Lexington, Va. - The N.C. Wesleyan men's tennis team suffered a 5-1 loss to #4 Emory University on Sunday afternoon in the third round of the NCAA Tournament hosted by Washington & Lee. While the team ends its dual season with a 17-6 overall record, senior Robert Kjellberg and freshman Sebastian Sikh will continue play in the NCAA Division III Singles and Doubles Championships on May 21st.

The Eagles (18-6) tallied the first point of the match with an 8-3 win at #2 doubles, but Kjellberg/Sikh responded with an 8-6 victory at #1 to knot the score. With a pivotal point up for grabs at the 3rd position, the freshmen duo of Fabio Pereira/Andres Gomez fought EU's Eric Halpern/Scott Rubinstein to a 7-7 tie before dropping the final two points.

Needing four singles wins to pull off the victory, Kjellberg and Sikh each won their first sets at #1 and #2 singles to keep the Bishops alive. Pereira was in the midst of a 3-3 tie in his second set at #3, but Emory was able to tally straight-set wins at seeds 4 through 6 to clinch the match and halt play.

The loss marks the fifth consecutive season that the Eagles have eliminated Wesleyan from NCAA play, although the Bishops continue to make strides nationally with seven straight tournament appearances.

With the dual season completed, Kjellberg and Sikh will now continue their pursuit of the program's first national title. The individual championships consist of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams, with Kjellberg earning a berth in both and Sikh joining him in doubles. Play begins on May 21st at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, and will be hosted by Ohio Northern University and the Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Please continue to check www.ncwcsports.com for updated information.