LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The University of North Dakota men's tennis team dropped a 4-3 battle with Bellarmine on Saturday afternoon from the Eddie Weber Tennis Complex in Louisville, Ky. 

The match is the second straight 4-3 loss for the Fighting Hawks, dropping the squad to 4-2 on the season and 2-2 away from Grand Forks. 

The Knights jumped out to a 1-0 lead in doubles action with a pair of wins on the No. 1 and 2 courts, with the middle position being decided in a tiebreaker. The bottom duo of Christos Alex and Walker Valentine notched a 7-6 victory of their own to close out two-man play. 

Alex carried his momentum into singles play and drew the visitors even on the No. 5 court with a 6-4, 6-2 victory, but Bellarmine responded on the No. 2 court to take a 2-1 lead. 

Leo Galliano brought the score level at 2-2 at the top spot with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 triumph, but the Knights once again regained the advantage with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win at the fourth position to move within a point of clinching the match. 

Justin Ilic rebounded from a 6-4 loss in the opening set to record a 6-4, 7-6 win of his own over the final two sets on the No. 3 court to even the score at 3-3 and turn all attention to the bottom position for the deciding point. 

There, the two sides exchanged wins over the first pair of sets, with Bellarmine capturing the opening stanza 7-6 and Valentine answering back by a 6-3 score in the middle frame, but the Knights grabbed the match with a 6-4 triumph to secure the 4-3 victory. 

North Dakota closes out the weekend against Eastern Kentucky on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. from Louisville. 

For more information on North Dakota men's tennis, follow on social media @UNDmtennis or visit FightingHawks.com.