ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of North Dakota men's tennis team fell, 5-2, to Samford on Tuesday afternoon in a neutral-site showdown in Orlando.
 
With the loss, UND drops it second straight match of the week in Florida and falls to 5-7 on the season.
 
In doubles play, UND rode victories on the top pair of courts to capture the early point and take a 1-0 lead in the match. On the No. 1 position, Nejc Sitar and Lukas Buth rolled to a 6-2 win before Johnnie Carmichael and Davide Callegari sealed the 1-0 advantage with a 6-4 triumph at the No 2 court. Samford won the match at the third position, but the Fighting Hawks took the momentum into singles play.
 
In the singles action, Samford won five of the six contested matches to rally for the 5-2 overall victory. The Bulldogs captured triumphs on the No. 3, 4, 5, and 6 courts in two sets with the top pair of positions going to a third frame. Sitar collected a 7-6 win in the first set on the No. 1 court, but fell in back-to-back sets to drop a three-set fight. Buth notched another win in singles play, rallying to post a 6-3 victory in the second frame after dropping the first set and notching a win in the tiebreaker to end the match on a strong note for the Hawks.
 
North Dakota returns right back to action tomorrow morning vs. South Carolina Upstate in Orlando beginning at 11:30 a.m.