LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Making its home debut, the Bellarmine University men's tennis team notched its first win of the 2025-26 season, defeating North Dakota 4-3 in a six-hour battle at the Eddie Weber Tennis Complex.

The Knights (1-4) made the most of their first match at the Eddie Weber Tennis Center, securing an exciting 4-3 win over North Dakota (4-2). After facing off against the Fighting Hawks for the first time last season, Bellarmine collected its first ever win over North Dakota.

Senior Eli Wood and freshman Ryan Parkins opened the match with a 6-2 win in the first doubles flight followed closely by a 7-6 win on court two by senior Matthew Nice and freshman Colby Berson to secure the team point for a 1-0 lead.

Moving into singles, North Dakota evened the match with a win on court five.

Wood responded with his second win of the day on court two, taking a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

The Fighting Hawks once again tied the match with a win on court one before taking a 3-2 lead after a win on court three.

From there, the freshmen stole the show. Parkins battled out a tough three set after dropping the opening set on court four, taking the last two sets for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory to tie the match once again with one court left to play.

Berson played the hero today, muscling out a 3:15 minute, three set bout. After winning the opening set 7-6, he fell 3-6 in the second set before rallying for a 6-4 third set win to claim the win for Bellarmine.

Up next, Bellarmine will stay at home, hosting Eastern Kentucky on Sunday, February 1 at the Eddie Weber Tennis Complex.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow BUKnights on X, Instagram and Facebook.