HEMPFIELD, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's men's tennis team secured its second-straight United East Conference Championship by sweeping St. Mary's (Md.) 4-0 at the Hempfield recCenter on Sunday afternoon and clinched the program's third trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Derwin Merca was named the United East Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his efforts.
The No. 2 doubles duo of Peng Mark Hou and Andrew Schreck earned the first win of the afternoon for Penn State Harrisburg, as they topped Seahawks' Alex Lyman and Andrew Hand 6-1. Cooper Wheeler and Damir Cuturic secured the overall doubles point in the top contest by defeating Nick Rohr and Jacob Nelson 6-1. In the third spot, Merca and Kevin Liang went up against Max Esztergomi and Hudson Christensen and the pair had just before the No. 2 match concluded.
In singles play, Hou earned a 6-0, 6-3 win over Rohr in the No. 1 matchup, before Merca grabbed a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Lyman in the second spot. Liang secured the match-clinching singles contest in the No. 4 pairing against Hand, as he cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 decision. Wheeler, Cuturic, and Clayton Herb were all leading in their respective matches prior to Liang earning the sweep for the Lions.
Penn State Harrisburg awaits the announcement of their opponent in the NCAA Tournament on Monday, May 5. First round action is set to begin next weekend.
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg men's and women's tennis all season long on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) by following the Lions using the handle @pshbgtennis.
