NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Taking on a top-25 foe in just the second match of the spring season, the 40th-ranked Christopher Newport men's tennis team fell just short against the No. 21 N.C. Wesleyan College Battling Bishops in a 5-4 setback. Junior James Baron led the way winning in both singles and doubles for the Captains. 

Baron paired with senior Dominic Lacombe for the win at No. 3 doubles to kick off the evening match at the James River Country Club in Newport News. The veteran duo won 8-3 over Max Robinson and Nick Revin to give the Captains an early lead in the match. The Bishops answered with a win at No. 1 doubles but Christopher Newport carried a 2-1 advantage into singles play with a hard-fought win at No. 2 doubles. Scotty Hunter and Alec Strause outlasted Ingmar Remmerswaal and Jhonny Acosta, 8-7 (7) for the win to tilt Christopher Newport into the lead. 

In singles play, Baron and sophomore Ryan Macy earned wins for the Captains, but the visiting team pulled out hree-set wins at 1, 2, and 4 to clinch the victory. The lone win for NC Wesleyan that didn't go to a tiebreaker was also highly competitive as Bently Goodwin stretched Remmerswaal to a 7-5, 6-4 final score. 

The wins for Christopher Newport came at No. 3 and No. 6 where Macy defeated Revin (2-6, 7-6, 6-2) and Baron pulled out a win over Matan Amitay (7-6, 6-2), respectively. In a matchup of regionally-ranked singles players, Juan Vallejo narrowly defeated Lacombe on the top line by a final score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. 

The Captains will return to action on Sunday, February 23 as they host Washington & Lee University at 9:00 a.m. It will be the final match before the annual cross-country spring break trip to California for Christopher Newport University.