NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Eastern Illinois men's tennis team played their fifth conference match Saturday morning falling 5-2 at Tennessee State. 

In over 20 years of competition between the two teams, EIU had won 17 straight up until last season when the Panthers were defeated at home 4-3. Saturday's loss puts EIU at 3-18 on the season and 0-5 in conference. 

As the day begun, the competitive tone was set early between both opponents. In doubles competition, the duo of Gage Kingsmith and Grant Reiman picked up their third consecutive win with a 6-4 result in the No. 1 spot. They are now one game under .500 this season improving to 4-5. The Panthers nearly recorded the doubles point ath the No. 3 position, but the pair of Jacob Wendell and Jared Woodson fell 7-5.

In the No. 1 position, Gage Kingsmith and his opponent Matthew Brown battled into three sets. Throughout those three sets, there were tiebreakers to decide the winners of the first and third set with Kingsmith ultimately falling by a result of 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (7).

Fueled from Kingsmith's performance, in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions Marko Stefan Janjusic was able to defeat his opponent 6-4, 6-0, while Grant Reiman defeated his Tennessee State counterpart 6-3, 6-1. Following the victories Janjusic improves to 9-12 in singles competition while Grant Reiman breaks out of a slump to get things back on track snapping a 10-match losing streak.

Twin brother Trent Reiman nearly recorded a singles victory forcing a third set at the No. 5 spot before falling to Kyle Burton 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

The Eastern Illinois men's tennis team will have a week to get things together before facing Austin Peay next Saturday (Apr. 8) at 2 p.m. in their final OVC match of the season.

Tennessee State 5, Eastern Illinois 2

Singles Competition
1. BROWN, Matthew (TSUM) def. KINGSMITH, Gage (EIU) 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (7)
2. JANJUSIC, Marko S. (EIU) def. RODRIGUEZ, Jorge (TSUM) 6-4, 6-0
3. REIMAN, Grant (EIU) def. PARANT, Tom (TSUM) 6-3, 6-1
4. NAUTIYAL, Shashank (TSUM) def. WOODSON, Jared (EIU) 6-2, 6-1
5. BURTON, Kyle (TSUM) def. REIMAN, Trent (EIU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
6. MADDOX, Grant (TSUM) def. AMMER, Ferdinand (EIU) 7-5, 6-2

Doubles Competition
1. KINGSMITH, Gage/REIMAN, Grant (EIU) def. MADDOX, Grant/BROWN, Matthew (TSUM) 6-4
2. BURTON, Kyle/PARANT, Tom (TSUM) def. AMMER, Ferdinand/REIMAN, Trent (EIU) 6-0
3. RODRIGUEZ, Jorge/NAUTIYAL, Shashank (TSUM) def. WENDELL, Jacob/WOODSON, Jared (EIU) 7-5