Pulaski, Tenn. – UPIKE extended their win streak to six games after a gritty, 5-2 victory over the UT-Southern Firehawks Saturday afternoon. 

Doubles: 

Martin Lorenzo and Alfonso Robinson fell to Shizuya Kubo and Martin Cabrera 6-1 in the opening doubles match. Juan Diego Alzate and Mirko Dedich tied the doubles score with a 6-3 win over Juan Moreno and Nick Rosa. With the doubles team point on the line, Valentin Ortiz and Paulo Castillo faced off against Rage Mutack and Felipe Dias. Ortiz and Castillo secured the team point for UPIKE with a 7-6 tiebreaker to put the Bears up 1-0. 

Singles: 

Valentin Ortiz defeated Shizuya Kubo 7-5, 6-1 to secure another team point for the Bears. Juan Diego Alzate followed up Ortiz's win with a dominant, 6-1, 6-0 win over Gaspar Audision. UT-Southern fought back, however. Nick Rosa defeated Alfonso Robinson 7-6, 6-3, then Martin Lorenzo fell 6-3, 7-7, 10-7 to Felipe Dias. 

With the Bears leading the match 3-2, Paulo Castillo took the court in search of a match-winning victory. Castillo defeated his Firehawk counterpart, Juan Moreno, 6-3 and 7-6. Mirko Dedich capped off the afternoon with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win over Juan Bucheli, securing the victory for the Bears.

Coach Brennan Alderman's squad improves to 9-3 (6-1 MSC) after today's win over UT-Southern. Next up for the Bears is a clash with the Cumberland Phoenix Sunday afternoon in Lebanon, Tenn. 

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