By Marlene Estenssoro Pineda

GREENSBORO – After two consecutive wins last week, North Carolina A&T lost in Big South Conference men's tennis play to the UNC Asheville Bulldogs 4-3 Thursday afternoon at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center. 

The loss drops A&T to 7-6 overall and 0-3 in Big South play. 

UNCA took the doubles point after winning the first two contests. A&T senior Vasil Ivanov and junior Esteban Lopez lost to Jon Brann Reid and Harry Thursfield 6-2 at No. 1 doubles. 

The No. 3 doubles saw Bruno Serra and Rafa Serra defeat the freshmen Aggies duo of Ethan Baly and Ian Pedersen, 6-2. Subsequently, the two Bulldog wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles made the No. 2 doubles matchup obsolete. When No. 2 ended early, freshmen Eder Blanco and Jorge Perez trailed UNCA's Leo Bierbaum and Sira Daosaengsawang 4-3. 

With the doubles point in the Bulldogs column, the Aggies turned their attention toward winning four singles matches. The journey did not start well as Lopez lost to Brann, 6-1, 6-3. Perez did get the Aggies going with his second win this week as he defeated Daosaengsawang 6-3, 6-2. 

"I felt really good today on my match," said Perez. "The player I played against was solid, but what really helped me win was keeping my serve and just being consistent with the ball. I feel the next match as a team we will get the win."

A&T made things interesting as Blanco defeated Bierbaum 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 to even the contests at 2. 

"I felt great because my opponent made many mistakes in the first set," said Blanco. "However, in the second set, my opponent started playing better, and he broke my serve that became an advantage for him. On the third set, I was up 5-2, and the opponent came to 5-4. Keeping one more ball at the court and being more solid were the keys to closing the match. I am proud of that." 

But UNCA regained the lead when Rafa Serra defeated Pedersen at No.6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. In stepped veteran Ivanov to get the Aggies back on track. Ivanov picked up another career win while picking up his second win of the week with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Thursfield.  

"It was a hard match, being down 4-0 in the third set," said Ivanov. I was able to come back to make it 6-4, but it was not easy. I had to start focusing on what I have been working with my coach of taking every opportunity."

After Ivanov's win, the match came down to the No. 4 matchup between A&T's Baly and UNCA's Bruno Serra. Baly lost in a tight third-set tiebreaker as Bruno Serra came away with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (8-6) win. 

The Aggies will be back in action Sunday at Dudley High School Tennis Courts at 11 a.m. when they face Hampton.