BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-The Samford men's tennis team was narrowly defeated 4-3 by ETSU in a tightly contested Southern Conference rivalry Sunday at the Samford Tennis Center.

The Bulldogs, now 12-6 overall and 4-1 in SoCon play, stormed out to an early advantage by capturing the doubles point on Courts 2 and 3. ETSU responded in singles, winning four of six matches—including two of three that went the distance—to hand Samford its first conference setback at home this season.

Doubles action set the tone for the afternoon. Vitorio Sardinha and Sebastian Harrison clinched a 6-3 win at No. 2, while the pairing of Lukas Dvorak and Cooper Errey matched that score on Court 3. On the top court, Darcy Nicholls and Sandeep Mohandoss battled into a tiebreak before falling 7-6.

Singles play turned into a series of high-pressure matches on each court. Darcy Nicholls delivered a clutch performance at No. 2, winning both sets by tiebreak for a 7-6, 7-6 decision. Cooper Errey secured Samford's other singles point in a three-set battle at No. 5, prevailing 7-6, 4-6, 6-2.

ETSU, however, capitalized in decisive moments with comeback wins at No. 3 and No. 6 singles, and a narrow tiebreak at No. 4, turning the match in their favor despite Samford's early lead.

Samford returns home to host Furman University in another key Southern Conference match up Saturday, April 4 at 1 p.m. at the Samford Tennis Center.

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