UMO falls to Belmont Abbey
FLORENCE, S.C. – In a rematch of the 2022 championship match, the No. 6 seed University of Mount Olive men’s tennis program was dealt a 4-0 loss by No. 2 seed Belmont Abbey in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Championship on April 23 at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center.
With the loss, the Trojans finished their season with a 12-10 overall record and fell short of a fourth straight trip to the championship match. Mount Olive made an impressive run to the semifinals after surviving the opening day of the league tournament with victories over Converse and Barton. Meanwhile, the Crusaders improved to 20-19 this season and claimed their second-straight conference title this afternoon with a 4-1 win over No. 1 seed Francis Marion.
Junior Guilherme Zotin de Oliveira was selected to the all-tournament team after posting an unblemished record at No. 1 doubles with teammate Daniel Hammond while going 1-1 in the first position in singles play. It marks his second all-tournament selection after being named the tournament MVP in spring 2021.
Belmont Abbey secured the doubles point after posting victories in the second and third slots. At No. 2 doubles, juniors Adam Ibrahim and Diego Ortega Cadahia suffered a 6-3 loss to Xaveam Van Wijk and Alex Turner before sophomore Elios Briand and freshman Bram Poel fell by a 6-4 margin versus Nelson Stafford and Christian Winstead. The No. 1 doubles match was left unfinished with the Trojans leading by a score of 5-4.
In singles play, the Crusaders were able to clinch the victory by winning three matches. In the fifth slot, senior Israel Rodriguez Rojas was dealt a 6-4, 6-0 loss by Andres Golindano, while freshman Kabir Chhabria fell by a score of 6-2, 6-1 to Turner in the sixth position. Belmont Abbey sealed the 4-0 win after Ibrahim suffered a 6-3, 6-3 loss at No. 3 singles versus Stafford. The three additional matches went unfinished following the game-winning point with de Oliveira and Hammond leading by one set.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
