FORT SMITH, Ark. – The 24th-ranked Harding men's tennis team opened divisional play in emphatic fashion Friday afternoon, battling through four three-set matches to secure a 7-0 shutout of Arkansas-Fort Smith at The Hangout.

The Bisons (4-0, 1-0 MIAA/GAC South) extended their season-opening winning streak by showing remarkable poise under pressure. Despite losing the first set in four of the six singles matches, Harding rallied in every instance to complete the road sweep.

The afternoon began with a tightly contested doubles point. After UAFS (0-1, 0-1) took a win at the No. 2 spot, the Bisons' No. 3 pairing of Cian Mikkelsen and Luis Agullo leveled the field with a 6-4 victory. The point was decided at the top flight, where Edoardo D'Arrigo and Sebastian DeLaSalas outlasted Birk Arwedahl and Eduardo Bribliesca in a 7-6 tiebreaker to give Harding a 1-0 lead.

In singles play, Caleb Folse provided the quickest point of the afternoon with a 7-6, 6-1 win at No. 3. Shortly after, Mikkelsen earned a victory at No. 2 when his opponent, Arwedahl, was forced to retire in the third set.

The remaining matches tested the Bisons' conditioning and mental toughness. At No. 1, 31st-ranked Sebastian DeLaSalas dropped his opening set before roaring back to defeat Bribliesca 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Luis Agullo (No. 4) and Florian Gayme (No. 6) followed the same script, both overcoming early deficits to win in three sets. Gayme's match was decided by a pro-set tiebreaker in lieu of a third set.

Edoardo D'Arrigo rounded out the scoring at No. 5 with a straight-set victory (6-2, 7-6), ensuring the Bisons maintained their perfect dual-match record this spring.

Through four matches, Harding remains undefeated in singles at the No. 1, 3, and 4 positions. DeLaSalas and Folse both improved to 4-0 in dual-match singles play on the season.

Harding continues its road swing through the MIAA/GAC South next weekend, looking to build on its early divisional lead.

#24 Harding 7, Ark.-Fort Smith 0

Feb 13, 2026 at Fort Smith, Ark. (The Hangout)

Singles Competition

1. #31 Sebastian DeLaSalas (HU) def. Eduardo Bribliesca (UAFS) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

2. Cian Mikkelsen (HU) def. Birk Arwedahl (UAFS) 0-6, 6-4, 3-0, retired

3. Caleb Folse (HU) def. Simeon Latinchev (UAFS) 7-6, 6-1

4. Luis Agullo (HU) def. Rodrigo Hoppe (UAFS) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

5. Edoardo D'Arrigo (HU) def. Nathan Rigault (UAFS) 6-2, 7-6

6. Florian Gayme (HU) def. Kivanc Bedir (UAFS) 4-6, 6-3, 10-7

Doubles Competition

1. Edoardo D'Arrigo/Sebastian DeLaSalas (HU) def. Birk Arwedahl/Eduardo Bribliesca (UAFS) 7-6

2. Nathan Rigault/Simeon Latinchev (UAFS) def. #23 Florian Gayme/Jan Alexander Has (HU) 6-2

3. Cian Mikkelsen/Luis Agullo (HU) def. Kivanc Bedir/Rodrigo Hoppe (UAFS) 6-4

Match Notes Harding 4-0, 1-0; National ranking #24 Ark.-Fort Smith 0-1, 0-1 Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,2,1,5,4,6)