IMMACULATA, Pa. – After a nearly six-month layoff, Penn State Harrisburg finally returned to the court for some tennis on Tuesday, Mar. 19. The Lions went 4-2 in the fall and they got back to their winning ways with a 6-3 road victory over Immaculata in the team's spring opener.
In doubles action, Harrisburg's team of Vinnie Lepore (Chepachet, R.I. / Ponaganset) and Tyler Miller (Mechanicsburg, Pa. / Mechanicsburg) handled Immaculata's pairing of Joe Walker and TJ Klinger 8-4 while the Lions' pairing of Zachry Warriner (Montrose, Pa. / Montrose) and Tyler Loy (Annville, Pa. / Annville-Cleona) took down the Mighty Macs number three team consisting of Eric Schmidt and Todd Stokely 8-2.
The Blue & White took a 2-1 advantage into singles play and handled business thanks to individual wins by the team's 3-6 players in Miller, Ben Leibig (Lebanon, Pa. / Lebanon), Lepore and Warriner. After missing the entire fall season, the Lions number one singles player and the reigning North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Player of the Year Josh Cartmill (Carlisle, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) fell in his first matches back. As he gets more court time under his belt, Harrisburg should become an even more formidable force.
The two-time defending NEAC champions started the spring portion of their campaign off on the right foot and improved their overall record to 5-2. Penn State Harrisburg's next match is also the team's spring home opener. The Lions host Lebanon Valley on Thursday, Mar. 21.