NEWARK, N.J. – The Saint Joseph's men's tennis team fell to NJIT, 4-2, at the Naimoli Family Athletic and Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Hawks took the early lead with wins in the top two doubles flights; Eshan Kanetkar and Nathan Perrone teamed up for a 6-4 first-flight win, while Justus Agbo and Alp Sentay were 6-3 winners in the second flight.

• Perrone grabbed a win in straight sets in the top singles flight, but the Highlanders took the remaining completed matches to secure the win.

HAWK TALK
"It was a very disappointing defeat for our team today," head coach Marc Pibernat said.  "This was a big match for us to take our season in the right direction.  We lost the match on pure grit, effort, and competitiveness, and it is not what is expected of this caliber of team.  We look to bounce back next week in a tough match against Lafayette."

UP NEXT
The Hawks are scheduled to host Lafayette on Saturday, March 5.

RESULTS

NJIT 4, Saint Joseph's 2

Doubles
1. Eshan Kanetkar / Nathan Perrone (SJU) def. Josh Smith / Samuel Townes (NJIT), 6-4
2. Justus Agbo / Alp Sentay (SJU) def. Abdullah Fouad / Daniel Sabogal (NJIT), 6-3
3. Oscar Callo von Platen / Amine El Kholti (NJIT) def. Nassim Fenjiro / Nickolas Frisk (SJU), 6-0

Singles
1. Perrone (SJU) def. Fouad (NJIT), 6-1, 6-3
2. El Kholti (NJIT) def. Sentay (SJU), 6-3, 6-2
3. Smith (NJIT) def. Frisk (SJU), 6-4, 6-2
4. Callo von Platen (NJIT) def. Agbo (SJU), 7-5, 7-6 (4)
5. Ashwin Kanetkar (NJIT) def. Eshan Kanetkar (SJU), 7-6 (3), 6-4
6. Fenjiro (SJU) led Ammar Fekry (NJIT), 6-1, 4-4

Game Scores
Singles: NJIT 60, Saint Joseph's 54
Doubles: NJIT 13, Saint Joseph's 12
Total: NJIT 73, Saint Joseph's 66