HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's tennis team gave 18th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University a battle Saturday afternoon but the Fords fell, 6-3, in the non-conference season opener at Gary Lutnick Tennis & Track Center in Alumni Field House.
Haverford, ranked eighth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Atlantic South Region, jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Tartans (5-0) after the doubles portion of the match. Kevin Caulfield and Danny Himelstein, playing at No. 1 doubles, registered an 8-5 victory over Duke Miller and Kosuke Hasegawa. The No. 2 doubles pairing of Matthew Cebul and Matt Romei duplicated the effort with an 8-5 win over Christian Heaney-Secord and Thomas Cooper. Playing at No. 3 doubles, Luis Acaba and Sloan Millman outlasted Bryce Beisswanger and Abhiskeh Alla as they registered a 9-8 (7-4) victory.
Looking to sustain the effort in singles play, the Fords (0-1) came up short against Carnegie Mellon's lineup that has already registered two wins against Division I programs this season. Caulfield pushed Heaney-Secord to the limit at No. 1 singles but fell 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-1). Also playing well was Acaba, at No. 2 , who took set one against Miller but had to retire at the conclusion of set two.
Haverford returns to action on Feb. 27 when it hosts Stevens Institute of Technology. The non-conference match against the Ducks, ranked 16th in the ITA Northeast Region, begins at 4 p.m.