READING, Pa. – Men's tennis beat Stevenson 4-0 on Wednesday afternoon to advance to the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth championship match. It will be the Lions first appearance in a conference championship since 2006.
Today's match was forced indoors due to rain playing at the YMCA in Sinking Spring, Pa.
Albright beat Stevenson for the second time this season, both of which were sweeps. The win placed the Lions in the MAC Commonwealth championship for the first time since 2006. With a win on Saturday over Messiah, Albright will win their first MAC championship since 2001.
This is the third straight year Albright has appeared in the playoffs starting their streak in the 2024 season. Despite qualifying for the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, the win today is the first playoff win for the Lions since 2006.
Albright started the match strong in doubles play winning #2 and #3 doubles to go up 1-0 over Stevenson.
Matias Contreras and
Leonardo Russo Gispert handled business at #2 doubles winning 6-2 while
Esteban Vallejo and
Marcelo Menchaca won 6-0 in #3 doubles.
At #1 singles
Renato Orsi found himself down early but battled back to take control of the match. After trailing early in the first set Orsi regained his form to win set number one 7-5. From there Orsi was too much for his opponent, winning 6-3 in the second set to take the match.
Contreras was in control from the matches very first serve as he would go on to win the match 6-1, 6-3.
Karim Fattal got the job done in #3 singles winning 6-2, 6-0 and what turned out to be a dominating effort by Fattal.
Every Lion featured in the lineup today made their playoff debuts for Albright.
Unfinished Matches:
#4 Singles: Menchaca (ALB) vs Christian Coulson (STE) | ALB led 4-1
#5 Singles:
Enrico Pucci (ALB) vs Nate Kelly (STE) | ALB led 5-0
#6 Singles:
Dylan Huha (ALB) vs Dominic Duncan (STE) | Match did not start
#1 Doubles: Pucci & Orsi (ALB) vs Luke Appleman & Brandon Nguyen (STE) | STE led 5-3
Up Next:
Albright will host Messiah on Saturday, May 2. The time for the match is yet to be determined but will take place on the Albright Tennis Courts.
