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BLACKSBURG, Va. – The 42nd-ranked Virginia Tech men’s tennis team suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to 32nd-ranked N.C. State on Sunday afternoon at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center in Blacksburg, Va.

Virginia Tech (13-9, 5-5 ACC) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, earning the doubles point with wins in the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches. Tech's Hunter Koontz and Joao Monteiro earned the first Hokie win of the match with an 8-5 victory over the Wolfpack's 48th-ranked duo of Nick Horton and Sean Weber in the No. 2 match. The Hokies clinched the point in the No. 3 match where Jai Corbett and Nic Wilson teamed up to top Simon Norenius and Austin Powell, 8-5.

The final doubles match featured two ranked pairs. N.C. State's 38th-ranked Ian Dempster and Robbie Mudge used a late break to slip by Tech's 37th-ranked Andreas Bjerrehus and Amerigo Contini 8-6 in the No. 1 match.

N.C. State (15-8, 4-6 ACC) evened the match at 1-1, as Dempster defeated Corbett 6-2, 6-3 in the No. 5 singles match.

The Hokies’ Monteiro put Tech back on top with a straight set victory over Norenius in No. 3 singles. Monteiro won the opening set, 6-4, before taking the second, 6-3.

The Wolfpack’s Horton used a second-set tiebreaker to defeat the Hokies’ Koontz, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) in the No. 4 singles match. In No. 6 singles, Weber put N.C. State up 3-2 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Virginia Tech’s Aaron Gomez.

The match came down to three-set matches in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles. In the No. 2 match, Tech’s 116th-ranked Bjerrehus held a 4-1 lead in the third set before the Wolfpack’s Mudge reeled off five consecutive games to win the determining set, 6-4, and clinching the match for N.C. State. Bjerrehus won the opening set, 6-4, but lost the second, 6-1.

In the final singles match, Tech’s 28th-ranked Contini defeated N.C. State’s 52nd-ranked Powell, giving the sophomore his second win over a ranked opponent this weekend. Contini dropped the opening set, 6-7 (5-7), but stormed back to win the second, 6-3, and the third, 6-1.

The loss dropped the Hokies to 5-5 in the ACC, while N.C. State improved to 4-6 in the conference.

The Hokies will return to the court on Saturday, April 19 at 11 a.m. for the final match of the regular season against rival Virginia at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center in Blacksburg, Va.

Singles
1. #28 Amerigo Contini (VT) def. #52 Austin Powell (NCSU) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-1
2. Robbie Mudge (NCSU) def. #116 Andreas Bjerrehus (VT) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
3. Joao Monteiro (VT) def. Simon Norenius (NCSU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Nick Horton (NCSU) def. Hunter Koontz (VT) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Ian Dempster (NCSU) def. Jai Corbett (VT) 6-2, 6-3
6. Sean Weber (NCSU) def. Aaron Gomez (VT) 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 5,3,4,6,2*,1

Doubles
1. #38 Ian Dempster/Robbie Mudge (NCSU) def. #37 Andreas Bjerrehus/Amerigo Contini (VT) 8-6
2. Hunter Koontz/Joao Monteiro (VT) def. #48 Nick Horton/Sean Weber (NCSU) 8-5
3. Jai Corbett/Nic Wilson (VT) def. Simon Norenius/Austin Powell (NCSU) 8-5
Order of Finish: 2,3*,1

For updates on Virginia Tech men's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_MTennis