BLACKSBURG, Va. – For the second time this season, the Gardner-Webb men's tennis team faced off against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, falling 6-1 at Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon.

The Hokies of Virginia Tech (8-1) clinched the doubles point with a pair of 6-4 victories at No. 2 and 3 doubles. Maximilian Scholl and Millen Hurrion's contest at No. 1 doubles was tied 4-4 and went unfinished.

"We were so close today," said head coach Mike Griffith. "We had a chance to win another doubles point today, so I am really pleased with our efforts."

Virginia Tech won four straight singles matches to open singles play as Paul Hogan (No. 3), Adam Schmidt (No.4), Breno Plentz (No. 5) and Johan Fors (No. 6) all suffered defeats. Hurrion was the lone victory for GWU (5-8, 0-1 Big South Conference) in singles play (No. 2), defeating the 117^th-ranked player in the country, Jason Kros. Hurrion won in two sets, 6-4, 6-3.

The final match of the day to finish was Scholl's contest in the No. 1 position. Scholl battled Mitch Harper, who sits 29^th in the International Tennis Association's men's singles rankings, for two sets. Scholl fell 6-3 in the opening set and forced a tiebreaker in set two. He fell in the second set, 7-6 (3).

"It was great to see Millen defeat a ranked opponent today," said Griffith. "Many others had chances, including Max, who hung in there against the 29^th-ranked player in the country. We know we can play with anyone, and we've had some great wins this season with more to come. We can be a very dangerous team, and everyone is working hard to get ready for Appalachian State on Tuesday

The Runnin' Bulldogs will return home for a match on Tuesday, February 27, at 3 p.m. against Appalachian State. The match was originally scheduled for Monday, February 26, but was postponed by a day due to the threat of rain in Boiling Springs.