ROCKY MOUNT, NC- The Chowan University men's tennis team earned a critical CIAA victory against Shaw University on Wednesday evening.  The Hawks edged the defending CIAA Champions 5-4 and even their overall record to 9-9 on the season while advancing to 6-0 in league play.  Shaw slips to 8-4 on the season and 5-2 in CIAA play with the setback. 

Farid Hajizada and Rafael Goncalves defeated Sergio Cuartas and Diego Choque 8-2 in number one doubles play.  Bach Tran and Juan Sanchez topped Ivan Doubograev and Danilo Galovic 8-4 in the number two position but the Hawks used victory by forfeit in number three doubles to take a narrow 2-1 lead heading into singles play. 

Playing in the number one position, Goncalves outlasted Gafur Sirojiddinov 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 to earn a win for the Chowan Blue and White.  Hajizada fell to Cuartas in the number two position and Enrique Bargo also dropped a 6-0, 6-0 decision to Sanchez in the fourth position.  Chowan rallied with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 win by Tristan Martin in the fifth position and took advantage of a win by forfeit in the sixth spot to clinch a 5-4 win over the Bears. 

Chowan has handed Shaw their only CIAA losses of the season and looks to continue the momentum in the final stretch of the regular season.  The Hawks take on Norfolk State University on April 6^th before taking on Virginia State University and Virginia Union University on April 7^th and 9^th, respectively.  Chowan will battle Randolph College on April 12^th before heading off to the CIAA Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.