GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The University of North Dakota men's tennis team battled with No. 50 Denver on Sunday at Choice Health and Fitness, but fell by a 5-2 score in the final home match of the season. 

UND (10-5, 2-1 Summit League) still remains in a strong spot to secure a postseason berth to the Summit League Tennis Championships, as the top-4 teams advance and the Fighting Hawks currently sit in third place. 

The Pioneers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on the doubles courts thanks to a pair of wins on the top courts to take the early advantage; however, Petro Alex and Edmond Aynedjian held a 3-2 lead in their match at the No. 3 position with two-man play was halted. 

DU continued its attack in singles play, picking up four more triumphs in two sets on the No. 2, 3, 5 and 6 courts, but the Fighting Hawks rallied to carry some momentum through the end of the match. 

At the fourth position, Aynedjian rallied from a 6-2 defeat in the opening set to collect a 6-2 triumph of his own to push the match to a tiebreaker. There, he rolled to a 6-3 win to secure the first point of the day for the Fighting Hawks. 

Moments later, Gerhard Sullwald ended the day strong for the hosts by also bouncing back from a 6-3 loss in the first frame with a 7-5 win in the second and a 10-6 victory in the tiebreaker to end the contest with a 5-2 score. 

North Dakota returns to action on Apr. 17 in Des Moines, Iowa for a conference showdown against Drake. The Bulldogs are currently ranked second in the Summit League with a 3-1 mark.