READING, Pa. – On the road, taking on a Penn State Berks squad that had yet to drop a conference match and without the services of two of its lineup regulars, Penn State Harrisburg faced quite the challenge.  Despite those potential roadblocks, the Lions answered the call.  The Blue & White saw some fresh faces step up and guide the Lions to a 7-2 victory over Berks on Saturday, Apr. 13. 

Sophomore Zachry Warriner (Montrose, Pa. / Montrose) battled through the after effects of illness and joined junior Vincent Lepore III (Chepachet, R.I. / Ponaganset) to down Berks' number two doubles team of Steve Roughton and Creston Smoker 8-6.  Ben Leibig (Lebanon, Pa. / Lebanon) and Alex Koltun (Mount Gretna, Pa. / Cedar Crest) gave the Lions a 2-1 advantage when they won the number three doubles match 8-3 over Jerrad Seifrit and Jeremy Emami.

With Evgeny Matigullin (New Bloomfield, Pa. / Susquenita), Tyler Miller (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) and Warriner missing singles play, several Harrisburg players moved up from their original slots while Manley Wong (Lancaster, Pa. / Conestoga Valley) and Tyler Loy (Annville, Pa. / Annville-Cleona) made their first appearances of the spring.

The Lions didn't miss a beat.

Leibig moved up two spots and won the battle of each team's number two man, defeating George Chacko 6-1, 6-2 while Lepore moved up from the number five position to the three spot where he bested Roughton.  Koltun found himself in the four slot where he topped Angel Negron 6-2, 6-3.  Wong showed no first match jitters when he defeated Smoker 6-2, 6-2 in the number five position.  Loy was just as strong in his first showing, sweeping Seifrit 6-0, 6-0 at number six.

The victory improved Penn State Harrisburg to 10-3 on the year and 4-1 in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) West Division play.  The two-time defending league champions will next take the court on Monday, Apr. 15 when they host soon-to-be Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) rival Frostburg State.