Men’s tennis comes up short against Furman in SoCon semis. (Contributed/ETSU Athletics)

The ETSU men’s tennis 2025 season would come to a heartbreaking end over the long Easter weekend. On April 18, Bucs men’s tennis entering with a 13-6 overall record would face longtime athletic rival, the Furman Paladins. In an uphill battle of a matchup, the Bucs would ultimately fall short in a close 4-3 loss. During the game, the Paladins were able to strike fire first, resulting in a doubles point.

This would be the first time since opening the hot streak of in-conference victories that the Bucs would not strike first. Potentially a bad omen, the last time the Bucs would fall short on striking first would result in an early season loss to the in-conference foe, Mercer Bears.

Despite the initial challenge, the Bucs were able to find points of their own with wins from junior Peter Kalocsai (Budapest, Hungary) (6-2,6-1) and standout star, Redshirt Senior, Francisco Lamas (Maracay, Venezuela) (6-0,6-3). Ultimately, this would lead the Bucs to a fierce comeback as the team would lead Furman for the first time in the matchup. Over the next singles and double competition, the Bucs would ultimately fall just one point short from making an appearance in the Southern Conference Championship.

For more information on ETSU tennis, please visit www.etsubucs.com.

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