HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – In a match that was closer than the final score would indicate, the University of Alabama in Huntsville men's tennis team fell 5-2 to visiting Division I member Bradley on Thursday afternoon. The Chargers slip to 9-7 on the season with the setback.
 
“I am very proud of the fight we played with today,” said Head Coach Daniel Finn following the match. “We surely didn't play our best tennis and even dug ourselves into some giant holes at times, but we really did a great job of fighting and competing hard against a quality Division I program.”
 
The doubles point was hotly contested as UAH won at the No. 3 as the duo of Christopher Kano and Guillermo Reyes won 8-4, but Bradley would take the No. 2 match to make the No. 1 doubles match the deciding one.
 
Jose Soto and Nestor Perez would fall behind 6-0 before storming back and breaking serve to go up 8-7. The visitors, unfortunately, broke as UAH was serving for the match, and Bradley went on to win the tiebreak to produce a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
 
Bradley then captured the points at No. 2 and No. 5 in singles to need just one win of the final four on the court. Holding off the opposition, Soto won at the No. 1 by scores of 6-2, 6-2 and Kano was a 6-4, 6-4 winner at third spot in singles to make it 3-2.
 
It appeared that Bradley would seal the match quickly at the No. 6 as Raphael Oliveira fell behind 7-6 (3), but he fought off six match points and won the second set 6-7 (6) to force a third. Nestor Perez also saved several match points before ultimately falling 6-3, 6-1 at the fourth position to give Bradley the match.
 
Oliveira would eventually fell 6-3 in the third set of his match to produce the 5-2 final.
 
UAH returns to action on Saturday when the team travels to Rome, Ga., to face Shorter at 1 p.m. CDT.