MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The Bethel Pilots Men's Tennis team (5-4, 4-4) fought valiantly but ultimately fell to the #24 Marian Knights, 4-3, in a thrilling conclusion to the Crossroads League season on Thursday.

In a match that determined playoff positioning, the Pilots were battling to secure a spot above Spring Arbor in the tiebreaker roulette for the 3-5 seed in the upcoming Crossroads League Tournament. With this loss, the Pilots will enter the tournament as the fifth seed and await their quarterfinal opponent, Goshen or Marian, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the higher seed's location.

The Pilots started strong, claiming the doubles point with impressive performances. Victor Bonsergent and Victor Otin defeated James Ashworth and Tjark Kunkle, 6-2. Nicolo Marchetti and Santiago Flores followed suit, overcoming Marcos Ramos Carera and Juan Garcia Tunon, 6-4. Jan Bartolome and Jones McNamar rounded out the doubles success with a 6-3 victory over Garrison Miller and Bernat Coll.

In singles action, Bonsergent continued his strong play, edging Ashworth 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the top spot. However, the Knights rallied back, with Tjark Kunkle defeating Santiago Flores 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the second match. Nicolo Marchetti battled hard, winning against Marc Soriano 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the third position. Unfortunately for the Pilots, Jan Bartolome fell to Victor Otin 6-2, 6-2 in the fourth match, while Juan Garcia Tunon defeated Paulo Reis 6-3, 6-3 in the fifth. The decisive match came down to Marcos Ramos Cabrera, who secured the win for Marian by defeating Martin Gaviria 6-1, 7-6.

The Pilots now look ahead to the Crossroads League Tournament, where they await their official opponent. Check out bupilots.com or social media @BUPilots for the announcement of the quarterfinal matchup.

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