SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On a cold and sunny day in the Hub City the USC Upstate men's tennis team won their home opener 5-2 over Emmanuel College on Friday afternoon at the USC Upstate Tennis Complex.
 
"It's nice to finally get the monkey off our back and pick up a win," USC Upstate head tennis coach Tim McLane said. "We didn't play particularly well at all, and credit to Emmanuel for making it tough on us, but at the end of the day we were able to pull through. We've only really been able to get two practices in the last week, so hopefully we're kind of playing our way back into form. The key now is can we show up and take care of business again tomorrow."
 
USC Upstate (1-5) jumped out to an early 1-0 advantage in the match with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles courts. The Spartans did not stop there, however, as the Spartans placed pressure on the Lions early and often in the singles competition.
 
Freshman Leon Roider picked up his first career win at the No. 1 single position on Friday afternoon and he is now 4-2 on the season. Fernando Bernardes claimed a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 2 singles, the win snapped a four match losing streak for the senior. Both Luka Eble and Guilherme Diniz continued the winning momentum as they both picked up straight set victories in their respective flights.
 
The USC Upstate men's tennis team will be back in action tomorrow morning against North Greenville University. First serve is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at the USC Upstate Tennis Complex.
 
Keep UP with the Spartans
Facebook (UpstateAthletics)
Twitter (@UpstateMWTennis)
Instagram (@upstatespartans)
YouTube (USCUpstateAthletics)