ATLANTA, Ga. -- Just two weeks after falling to North Carolina Wesleyan at home by a score of 7-2, the Washington and Lee men's tennis team knocked off the Battling Bishops by a score of 5-4 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday at Emory University.

The Generals trailed 3-0 following the doubles competition, but battled back with straight set wins by junior Jordan Krasner (Rockville, Md. / Walter Johnson) at No. 1 singles, senior Thomas Johnson (Greenville, S.C. / Christ Church Episcopal) at No. 2 singles and first-year Perry Clements (Tyler, Texas / All Saints Episcopal) at No. 5 singles to square the match at 3-3.

N.C. Wesleyan took No. 6 singles to assume a 4-3 lead, but senior Joe Siami (Louisville, Ky. / St. Xavier) posted a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 4 singles to pull the Generals back even.

The match hinged on the No. 3 singles match between junior Will Bannister (Bath, England / Beechen Cliff School) and Mark Sokolov of N.C. Wesleyan.  Sokolov won the first set 6-1, but Bannister bounced back to take the second, 6-3.  The two battled through an epic third set before Bannister recorded a 7-5 win to secure the victory for the Generals.

The win improved W&L to 16-8 overall, while the Battling Bishops fell to 16-8 as well.

W&L will return to action tomorrow, when it takes on host Emory in the second round at 10:00 am.

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Washington and Lee Men's Tennis
Washington and Lee vs N.C. Wesleyan (May 13, 2016)

Washington and Lee 5, #37 N.C. Wesleyan 4
May 13, 2016 at Atlanta, GA (WoodPEC Courts)