HOPEWELL, N.J. – The TCNJ men's tennis team got all it could handle from visiting Franklin & Marshall on Saturday, but the Lions proved more than up to the challenge in a hard-fought 7-2 non-conference victory at Hopewell Tennis Center.

Nikol Kilibarda and Justin Wain were both double-winners for the Lions (5-0), who remained unbeaten in dual matches with a nice result against a strong Diplomats side that is perennially a playoff participant in the Centennial Conference.

Doubles was a hotly contested affair, with two of the three courts going to a tiebreaker. F&M escaped with an 8-7 (4) decision at No. 3, but Kilibarda and Nick Matkiwsky bested Justin Pace and Tristan Steffe by the same score at No. 2.

Wain and Matthew Michibata gave TCNJ the edge heading into singles play with an 8-4 defeat of Adrian Charchalis and Isaac Rockower on the top doubles court.

Wain won 6-2, 6-1 over Pace at No. 2, while teammates Kilibarda (6-3, 6-1 at No. 4), Matkiwsky (6-1, 6-4 at No. 5), and Derek Jordan (6-4, 6-3 at No. 6) were all relatively comfortable straight-set winners.

Michibata and Adrian Tsui found themselves in tight tilts at first and third singles, respectively. Charchalis managed to pull out a 6-2, 6-7 (8), 10-6 nail-biter with Michibata at No. 1, but Tsui retained his unbeaten singles mark by knocking off Steffe, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 10-8 at No. 3.

The Lions are back in action next Friday against Washington College.