DECATUR, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's tennis team dropped a close conference battle with the Millikin Big Blue on Tuesday, falling by a score of 5-4.

Augustana won two of three doubles to begin the match to bring a 2-1 advantage into singles play. Nicolas Navarro and Quentin Essayie notched an 8-4 victory at No. 2, while Timothee Philip and Gustavo Fontenelle squeaked out a 8-6 tiebreaker to win by a score of 8-7 at No. 3.

In singles, Millikin grabbed three of the first four matches to be completed to take a 4-3 lead overall. Navarro secured a quick victory at No. 6, defeating his opponent 6-1, 6-0 to give Augie their third point. The Big Blue sealed the victory with a win a No. 4, taking the match in three sets before Essayie bounced back from his first set loss to win his contest at No. 3.

With the loss, Augustana drops to 9-5 overall and 2-2 in the CCIW. The team will return home for their outing on Wednesday, April 19 when they host the Elmhurst Bluejays. Start time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. from the Lower Campus Courts.