MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – On Saturday, Apr. 29, Penn State Harrisburg's men's tennis team claimed its second straight North Atlantic Conference (NAC) West Division title when the Lions defeated league rival Penn State Berks 7-2 in the tournament's championship match.

The blue and white gained an early advantage in doubles play.  After Josh Cartmill (Carlisle, PA/Cumberland Valley) and Evgeny Matigullin (New Bloomfield, PA/Susquenita) dropped a close 9-7 decision to Berks' number one pair, the teams of Vinnie Lepore (Chepachet, RI/Ponaganset)/Vishnu Gopalakrishnan (Ashburn, VA/Briar Woods) and Zachry Warriner (Montrose, PA/Montrose)/Tyler Loy (Annville, PA/Annville Cleona) stepped up when called upon and downed their opposition 8-4 and 8-1, respectively.

The Lions picked up where they left off in singles action.  Cartmill, Penn State Harrisburg's number one singles player, took down Berks' top man in Matt Holdorf 6-2, 6-4 while the team's number two player in Matigullin handled his business as well, besting Berks' Javier Quinones-Melendez 6-4, 6-2.  Lepore's 6-1, 6-0 victory in the number three slot gave Penn State Harrisburg five wins overall and clinched the championship for the blue and white.  Singles victories for Loy and Gopalakrishnan provided the icing on the cake. 

With the win, Penn State Harrisburg advances to the NAC championship.  The Lions will take on Colby-Sawyer, winners of the conference's East Division crown, in Latham, NY on Saturday, May 5.  The winner earns an automatic berth in the NCAA's Division III Regional Tournament.