Mixed Doubles performance powers Team Navy to victory in the 2025 Eagle Open
Team Navy claims the title in the Navy versus Orange Scrimmage after a dominant Halloween afternoon
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman tennis closed a book on its 2025 fall season with the Navy versus Orange Scrimmage, as Team Navy claimed the crown, 13-7, in the Eagle Open.
"This was our inaugural Eagle Open, and it did not disappoint, other than the weather on Wednesday," head coach Nathan Gangelhoff said. "It is the end of the fall season match, and it was filled with team competition and great energy. Team Navy won it this year as it came down to mixed doubles."
The intersquad match featured singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, with each match awarding different point values. Singles matches were worth one point, doubles two points, and mixed doubles three points. Every event was a single set to 6 with a 7-point tiebreaker at 6-6.
There were three men's and three women's singles matches, a pair of men's and women's doubles matches, and three mixed doubles matches.
Singles play began on Tuesday afternoon, and both teams picked up three points, sending it to the doubles period all square. Hala Awad, Leonard Baecker and Boris Jordanov recorded wins for Navy, with Andrea Aguiar, Louis Keenan and Kerrigan Spiers claiming energized victories for Orange.
For doubles, Alexandre Post and Giancarlo Rosario tilted the scales in favor of Navy with a win, before Wade Donovan and Darko Kolevski responded to level it at five points.
The women's side followed the same tune. Maria del Mar Sarda Marti paired with Spiers notched the victory for Orange, before Navy tied it as Kira Baacke and Leah McBride outlasted the comeback bid from Mar Fraile and Sindija Manovska.
With it all knotted up at seven points aside, the energy was building heading into the decider in mixed doubles, however, it was cut short as rain forced the postponement to Friday.
When the match restarted, it was Team Navy that brought the Halloween energy and struck fear into Team Orange to claim the title. Yassin Ali and Hala Awad set the tone by winning the first mixed doubles match before Leonard Baecker and Kira Baacke clinched the crown.
The men's tennis team begins its spring season on February 5 at Sewanee, with the women's team starting two days later against Cumberland (Ky.) at Lincoln Memorial University.
