No. 16 Foresters Fire Early, Knock Off No. 13 Morningside

MCKENZIE, Tenn. - The 16th-ranked Huntington men's tennis team wasted no time making noise over spring break, knocking off 13th-ranked Morningside, 4-1, Tuesday morning at the Bethel Invitational hosted at the Dr. Deborah Thompson Tennis Complex in McKenzie, Tennessee.

The Foresters (6-2) set the tone early by claiming the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 2.

At the top spot, Julian Tantera and Javier Lopez Real dominated Alexis Diaz and Marcos Menendez Hervella, 6-1. Pablo Lopez Real and Martin Capdevilla followed suit at No. 2 doubles, grinding out a 6-4 win over Santiago Minetti and Gabriel Whiston to give HU the early 1-0 advantage.

With momentum in their favor, the Foresters made quick work in singles. Just 90 minutes later, the match was clinched thanks to straight-set victories at three key positions.

Tantera was sharp at No. 1 singles, rolling to a 6-2, 6-0 decision. Capdevilla secured a 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 2, while Mateo Batista battled to a 6-3, 7-6 victory at No. 4 to seal the fourth and decisive point. With the match clinched under NAIA's clinch-scoring format, remaining play was halted.

The victory marks Huntington's first ranked win of the season and provides a strong start to a challenging spring break slate that also includes matchups with #22 Tennessee Southern, Bethel (Tenn.) and #7 Cumberlands (Ky.).

SINGLES RECAP 
1. Julian Tantera (HU) def. Marcos Menendez Hervella (MU) 6-2, 6-0 
2. Martin Capdevilla (HU) def. Alexis Diaz (MU) 7-5, 6-2 
3. Santiago Sarudiansky (HU) vs. Mathys Arnold (MU) 1-6, 3-4 DNF 
4. Mateo Batista (HU) def. Santiago Minetti (MU) 6-3, 7-6
5. Javier Lopez Real (HU) vs. Gabriel Whiston (MU) 6-2, 2-6, 5-2 DNF 
6. Jesse Gerth (MU) def. Juan Carrasco (HU) 6-3, 6-4 

DOUBLES RECAP 
1. Tantera/Javier Lopez Real (HU) def. Diaz/Hervella (MU) 6-1 
2. Pablo Lopez Real/Capdevilla (HU) def. Minetti/Whiston (MU) 6-4 
3. Arnold/Gerth (MU) def. Carrasco/Batista (HU) 6-4 

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 181 NAIA All-America honors and 631 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. Huntington has a top quartile ranking in the 2026 U.S. News Best Regional Universities Midwest Rankings.