GRANVILLE, Ohio – Another memorable campaign came to an end for Penn State Harrisburg's men's tennis team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a 4-0 setback against No. 37 North Central on the campus of Denison on Friday afternoon, May 9.


The Lions (16-6) dropped a pair of doubles contests to begin the match, with Derwin Merca and Clayton Herb falling 6-0 to Rafael Lessa and Philipp Wottgen in the No. 2 outing, while Andrew Schreck and Michael Rivino dropped a 6-2 decision to Justin Penados and Ignacio Hernandez Ruiz in the third contest. Cooper Wheeler and Damir Cuturic battled with Matthew Sengphommachanh and Ramon Vilarroig in the top matchup and were trailing 5-4 when the contest was halted.


In singles play, Hernandez Ruiz defeated Merca 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 3 pairing, as did Lessa over Herb in the No. 4 match. Henry Ros clinched the match for the Cardinals (15-6) with a 6-2 win against Rivino in the No. 6 contest. Wheeler fought hard in the top solo outing and trailed 6-4, 1-0 when it was stopped. Cuturic scored points despite trailing 6-2, 4-2 in the No. 2 matchup, while Schreck trailed 6-0, 5-0 in the No. 5 pairing.


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.