SEARCY, Ark. – The No. 25-ranked Harding men's tennis team opened its home slate in dramatic fashion Monday afternoon, outlasting Northwest Missouri State 4-3 at the David Elliott Tennis Complex.

In a match that spanned nearly four hours, the Bisons (6-2) relied on a strong doubles start and veteran resilience in singles to fend off the Bearcats (1-4). The victory improves Harding's regional record to 4-2 and keeps them undefeated at home this season.

Harding set the tone early by clinching a hard-fought doubles point. While the Bearcats took the No. 3 spot, the Bisons' top-tier pairings responded. The No. 4-ranked duo of Cian Mikkelsen and Adrian Solorzano cruised to a 6-2 win at the top flight, while Edoardo D'Arrigo and Sebastian DeLasSalas secured the point with a 7-5 win at No. 2.

In singles play, the Bisons jumped to a quick lead as Luis Agullo dominated at No. 6, winning 6-2, 6-0 to put Harding up 2-0. No. 31 Sebastian De Las Salas followed suit at the No. 1 position, dispatching Dominik Wijntjes 6-2, 6-1.

However, Northwest Missouri State mounted a fierce comeback in the middle of the order. The Bearcats claimed victories at No. 4 and No. 3 to pull within a point, eventually tying the match at 3-3 after a grueling three-set battle at No. 2, where Pavlo Vysotin edged out No. 9 Adrian Solorzano in a final-set tiebreaker.

With the dual match hanging in the balance, junior Caleb Folse provided the heroics at the No. 5 spot. After dropping his opening set 4-6 to Antonin Leborne, Folse displayed remarkable poise, roaring back to take the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 to clinch the victory for the Bisons.

The win marks a successful return to Searcy for first-year head coach Craig Kirchgessner after a seven-match road swing to open the year.

Harding will return to the road this weekend, taking on Emporia State on Saturday and William Jewell on Sunday.

#25 Harding 4, Northwest Mo. St. 3

Mar 02, 2026 at Searcy, Ark. (Elliott Tennis Center)

Singles Competition

1. #31 Sebastian DeLasSalas (HU) def. Dominik Wijntjes (NWMSU) 6-2, 6-1

2. Pavlo Vysotin (NWMSU) def. #9 Adrian Solorzano (HU) 2-6, 7-5, 7-6

3. Bernardo Henriques (NWMSU) def. Cian Mikkelsen (HU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

4. Konstantin Feiel (NWMSU) def. Jan Alexander Has (HU) 3-6, 7-6, 6-1

5. Caleb Folse (HU) def. Antonin Leborne (NWMSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3

6. Luis Agullo (HU) def. Hugo Alvarez Gonzale (NWMSU) 6-2, 6-0

Doubles Competition

1. #4 Cian Mikkelsen/Adrian Solorzano (HU) def. Dominik Wijntjes/Gage Foltz (NWMSU) 6-2

2. Edoardo D'Arrigo/Sebastian De Las Salas (HU) def. Bernardo Henriques/Hugo Alvarez Gonzale (NWMSU) 7-5

3. Konstantin Feiel/Pavlo Vysotin (NWMSU) def. #23 Florian Gayme/Jan Alexander Has (HU) 6-3

Match Notes Northwest Mo. St. 1-4 Harding 6-2; National ranking #25 Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,1,4,5,3,2) T-3:45