RAYMOND, Miss. - The Belhaven Men's & Women's Tennis teams opened the 2026 season on Thursday afternoon, falling 6-3 and 9-0 on the road at Hinds Community College.

For the men, the Blazers picked up an early point in doubles play at the No. 3 position, as Jack Madden and Briley Oakes secured an 8-6 victory to give Belhaven momentum. Hinds claimed the doubles point, however, with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 to take a lead into singles.

In singles action, Belhaven responded with a pair of strong straight-set performances. Stephen Spencer dominated at No. 4 singles with a 6-1, 6-1 win, while Briley Oakes added another point at No. 5 with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Hinds earned wins at the top three singles spots to build its advantage. The most tightly contested match of the afternoon came at No. 6 singles, where Paul Stager forced a third-set super tiebreak after splitting the first two sets, but fell just short in a 12-10 decision.

For the women, Hinds secured the doubles point with wins at all three positions. Rebekah Nichols and Millie Gallarno competed at No. 1 doubles, while Khliyah McCaskill-Ford and Arica Eason represented the Blazers at No. 2.

In singles play, Nichols faced a tough challenge at the top spot, while Gallarno, McCaskill-Ford, and Eason each battled in their respective matches at No's. 2 through 4. Hinds completed the sweep with wins at No's. 5 and 6 to secure the team result.

The Blazers are back in action with two matches tomorrow in their home-opener. They're set to face off against Southwest Mississippi Community College at 2:00 PM followed by a match against East Central Community College at 4:30 PM.

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