The Oglethorpe men's tennis team opened their season against their crosstown-rival Emory Eagles Friday. Emory begins the season ranked sixth nationally and first in the Atlantic South region, and the Stormy Petrels fell, 9-0.

The Petrels got a bunch of good experience for the upcoming season, playing against the best team they're likely to face all regular season. They got a good performance out of the No. 2 doubles team of senior Cedric Andre and sophomore Nick Roby. They had the serve with the match in a 5-5 deadlock and were up 40-0, but couldn't finish the game off. The Emory duo hit some fantastic shots to come back and take the game, and they eventually went on to take the match, 8-5. The other competitors for the Petrels had several deuce opportunities and a few situations where they had the advantage off of that, but Emory consistently won huge points.

The Petrels will now regroup and get set to host the Southern Shootout two weeks from now. The Petrels, currently ranked 14th in the Atlantic South, will take on 15th-ranked Bridgewater (Va.), 10th-ranked Christopher Newport and 11th-ranked Methodist over the course of the weekend.