INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- WVSU men's and women's tennis traveled to Greenville, Tennessee to take the Pioneers of Tusculum University.

The West Virginia State Yellow Jackets men's tennis team showed early strength but ultimately dropped a 5-2 decision to Tusculum University on Saturday in Greenville, Tennessee. WVSU secured the doubles point behind a 6-3 win from Forkane Lebdi and Wacil El Hanafi and a tight 7-6 victory by Heinrich Lindeque and Patchara Suklian, giving the Yellow Jackets momentum to start the match. Lebdi continued his strong day in singles, grinding out a three-set win over Rens Verhaar to claim State's second point. Despite the fast start, Tusculum answered in singles play, winning the remaining matches to secure the team victory. Even so, WVSU's performance at the top of the lineup underscored its competitiveness against a strong Pioneer squad.

On the women's side, the Yellow Jackets opened with confidence but fell 5-2 in a tightly contested match. Amanda Menendez Thomasson and Maria Mercedes Kaltakian rolled to a 6-2 doubles win, while Daniela Cruzado Fretel and Talia Nichols added a 6-4 victory to give WVSU the early edge. In singles action, Kaltakian battled through a three-set match to defeat Ginevra Moreno Villa, earning State's second team point of the afternoon. Tusculum responded by claiming the remaining singles courts to close out the match. Despite the final score, the Yellow Jackets' strong doubles play and fight in extended rallies reflected a team continuing to build momentum as the season progresses.

Both men's and women's will be back in action March 8-14 at the PTR Spring Tennis Fest in Hilton Head, South Carolina.