Tornado Men Rally Past Lees-McRae, Women Come Up Short Against the Bobcats

Bristol, Tenn. – The Tornado welcomed the Bobcats for a home conference matchup that featured tightly contested play across both the men's and women's matches, highlighted by several three-set singles battles and momentum swings throughout the day.

Men:
The King men secured a hard-fought 4-3 victory, overcoming an early deficit after doubles play to rally back in singles and claim the match. After Lees-McRae took the doubles point with wins on two courts, King entered singles needing a strong response and delivered across multiple positions.

Bar Meshel quickly got the Tornado on the board with a confident straight-set win at No. 2 singles, setting the tone for the comeback. Lucas Machado followed with a strong performance at No. 3, controlling much of the match and closing out a tight second-set tiebreak to secure another key point for King.

Momentum continued to build as the match shifted to the remaining courts, with Beckham Sylvester delivering a crucial three-set victory at No. 4 singles. After dropping the opening set, Sylvester showed resilience to battle back and take the final two sets in a tightly contested finish.

With contributions up and down the lineup, King claimed four of the six singles matches to complete the comeback and secure the 4-3 victory. The win highlighted the Tornado's depth and ability to respond under pressure in a tightly contested conference matchup.

Singles competition

1. Danny Neleman (King) vs Issac Yang (LMC) LMC: 2-0 (6-3, 6-2)
2. Bar Meshel (King) vs Tenzin Dorji (LMC) King: 2-0 (6-1, 6-4)
3. Lucas Machado (King) vs Marco Laguna (LMC) King: 3-0 (6-4, 7-6, 7-4)
4. Beckham Sylvester (King) vs Henry Austin (LMC) King: 2-1 (3-6, 6-4, 7-5)
5. Rohan Chalisgaonkar (King) vs Hudson Hoskins (LMC) LMC: 2-0 (6-2, 6-4)
6. Ben Jones (King) vs Jack Taggert (LMC) LMC: 2-1 (6-4, 2-6, 6-4)

Doubles competition

1. Machado/Neleman (King) vs Dorji/Laguna (LMC) LMC: 6-4
2. Chalisgaonkar/Meshel (King) vs Yang/Hoskins (LMC) King: 6-3
3. Jones/Kellner (King) vs Ferrer/Austin (LMC) King: 6-4

 
Women:
On the women's side, King fell 5-2, with Lees-McRae gaining early momentum by sweeping all three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead.

Despite the early deficit, the Tornado continued to compete in singles play and found success on the lower courts. Ruth Robison delivered a strong performance at No. 5 singles, controlling the match from the start and earning a straight-set victory. Sarah Hale followed with another point at No. 6, finishing strong with a convincing win to give King momentum late in the match.

Several other singles matches were tightly contested, including a three-set battle at No. 3, but Lees-McRae was able to secure the remaining points needed to clinch the overall victory.

While the result didn't go in King's favor, the Tornado showed fight throughout singles play and continued to compete across the lineup in conference action.
 
Singles competition

1. Deniz Aytun (King) vs Pati Sanchez (LMC) LMC: 2-0 (6-3, 6-3)
2. Rani Malhoe (King) vs Lina Saqout (LMC) LMC: 2-0 (6-0, 6-1)
3. Shellby Tranchita (King) vs Alexa Mazzei (LMC) LMC: 2-1 (7-3, 2-6, 10-3)
4. Trinity Moore (King) vs Carolina Brothers (LMC) LMC: 2-1 (4-6, 6-3, 6-4)
5. Ruth Robison (King) vs Kylie Childers (LMC) LMC: 2-0 (6-1, 6-3)
6. Sarah Hale (King) vs Lily Smith (LMC) King: 2-0 (7-5, 6-0)

Doubles competition

1. Aytun/Moore (King) vs Sanchez/Mazzei (LMC) LMC: 6-0
2. Robinson/Malhoe vs Saqout/Brothers (LMC) LMC: 6-1
3. Tranchita/Blecher (King) vs Smith/Childers (LMC) King: 6-1

 
Up Next: King returns to action on Friday, April 10 as they travel to face North Greenville in another Conference Carolinas matchup.
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