Tornado Drop Road Conference Matchup at North Greenville

Tigerville, S.C. – The Tornado faced a tough road test against the Crusaders in conference action, with North Greenville controlling momentum early behind strong doubles play and carrying that edge into singles competition across both matches.

Men:
The King men fell 5-2 in a competitive conference matchup, as North Greenville secured the doubles point and carried momentum into singles play. In doubles, the Crusaders took all three matches to open a 1-0 advantage. Despite the early deficit, King continued to battle in singles play and picked up two points on the day.

Bar Meshel delivered a strong performance at No. 2 singles, rallying after dropping the first set to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and earn a key point for the Tornado. Lucas Machado added the second point for King at No. 3 singles, earning a straight-set win after his opponent retired while trailing 6-0, 7-4 (ret.).

North Greenville, however, controlled the remaining courts. Danny Neleman fell at No. 1 singles 6-1, 7-5, while Beckham Sylvester was involved in the closest match of the day at No. 4, narrowly falling in a marathon three-set battle 6-3, 3-6, 13-11. Rohan Chalisgaonkar and Ben Jones also fell at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively, as the Crusaders secured the 5-2 final.

Despite the result, King showed resilience in several tightly contested singles matches, including multiple three-set battles that went down to the wire.

Singles competition

1. Danny Neleman (King) vs Louie Fletcher (NGU) NGU: 2-0 (6-1, 7-5)
2. Bar Meshel (King) vs Gabriel Pegoraro (NGU) NGU: 2-1 (6-4, 2-6, 1-6), 6-4, 6-1
3. Lucas Machado (King) vs Pavle Markus (NGU) King: 1-1 ret (6-7, 6-4, WR)
4. Beckham Sylvester (King) vs David Roseler (NGU) King: 2-1 (3-6, 6-3, 13-11)
5. Rohan Chalisgaonkar (King) vs Juan Arbelaez (NGU) NGU: 2-0 (6-4, 6-2)
6. Ben Jones (King) vs Dean Kingsley (NGU) NGU: 2-0 (6-1, 6-4)

Doubles competition

1. Neleman/Machado (King) vs Fletcher/Arbelaez (NGU) NGU: 6-4
2. Chalisgaonkar/Meshel (King) vs Markus/Pegararo (NGU) NGU: 6-4
3. Kellner/Jones (King) vs Kingsley/Roseler (NGU) NGU: 6-1

Women:
On the women's side, King fell 7-0 to North Greenville in a challenging road matchup, as the Crusaders swept doubles play to establish early control.

North Greenville carried that momentum into singles, winning all six matches despite competitive stretches from the Tornado.

At No. 1 singles, Deniz Aytun battled but fell 6-2, 6-3. Rani Malhoe was defeated 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2, while Shellby Tranchita dropped a 6-4, 6-1 decision at No. 3. Trinity Moore fell 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4, and both Ruth Robison and Sarah Hale were defeated 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.

Despite the final score, King continued to compete across all courts and gained valuable conference experience on the road.

Singles competition

1. Deniz Aytun (King) vs Abigail Watson (NGU) NGU: 2-0 (6-2, 6-3)
2. Rani Malhoe (King) vs Andjela Mrvaljevic (NGU) NGU: 2-0 (6-4, 6-0)
3. Shellby Tranchita (King) vs Julia Machado (NGU) NGU: 2-0 (6-4, 6-1)
4. Trinity Moore (King) vs Adriana Flores (NGU) NGU: 2-0 (6-1, 6-1)
5. Ruth Robison (King) vs Mikayla McKenzie (NGU) NGU:2-0 (6-0, 6-0)
6. Sarah Hale (King) vs Lauren Harrelson (NGU) NGU: 2-0 (6-0, 6-0)

Doubles competition

1. Aytun/Moore (King) vs McKenzie/Flores (NGU) NGU: 6-3
2. Robison/Malhoe (King) vs Watson/Machado (NGU) NGU: 6-3
3. Tranchita/Hale (King) vs Mrvaljevic/Harrelson (NGU) NGU: 6-2

Up Next: King returns to action on Saturday, April 11, at Young Harris College in a Conference Carolinas matchup set for 1 pm.