SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The Cal Lutheran men's tennis team battled through several tightly contested matches on Saturday evening but ultimately fell just short in a 4-3 loss at UC Santa Cruz.

The Kingsmen claimed three singles victories and forced multiple deciding moments throughout the lineup, but the Banana Slugs secured the match by taking two of three doubles contests and splitting singles play.

UC Santa Cruz grabbed the early advantage in doubles, winning at No. 1 and No. 2 to secure the point. The Kingsmen earned their lone doubles victory at the No. 3 position, where Mateo Sonaglia and Toki Adachi combined for a 6-3 win.

Santa Cruz extended its lead early in singles when Benjamin Wang defeated Ethan Sherwood 6-1, 6-3 at the top spot, but Cal Lutheran responded with strong play across the middle of the lineup. 

At No. 5 singles, Carlo Drewelow earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory to put the Kingsmen on the board. Adachi then followed with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win at No. 3, leveling the singles tally and securing the team lead.

At No. 4, Maxence Faniel delivered another key point for Cal Lutheran to tie things up at 3-3. After dropping the opening set, he rallied to defeat his opponent 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

The match ultimately came down to the final court at No. 2 singles. Raphael Simon battled through a hard-fought contest before narrowly falling 7-6, 4-6, 5-7, allowing the Banana Slugs to clinch the 4-3 victory.

Despite the result, the Kingsmen pushed the hosts throughout the afternoon with three singles matches extending to deciding sets.