Harrison Lilley – Photographer

hjl5363@psu.edu

On Saturday, the 6th of May, the Penn State Behrend men’s tennis team took to court against Pitt-Greensburg in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, AMCC, semifinals, played at Westwood Racquet Club. The Behrend Lions won the match 5-0, advancing them to the conference championship match.

With the win, Behrend improved their season record to 14-8; Pitt-Greensburg, on the other hand, ended their season with a 2-10 record. It was indeed an impressive performance on the day from the Lions, who proved their dominance right from the onset, sweeping doubles while only giving up two set points.

The Lions only needed to win two singles matches to win the match and advance to the conference championship match, with Jonathon Laier and Mitchell May doing just that. Laier beat Kyle Glessner in a 6-0, 6-0 decision while May posted a similar scoreline (6-0, 6-0) at No. 3 singles. At the time of the win, Behrend was ahead in the four remaining singles matches.

The Penn State Behrend Men’s Tennis team has yet again proven their dominance by winning the 2023 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship. They won their championship match against Penn State Altoona held on Sunday, the 7th of May, at Westwood Racquet Club with another impressive 5-0 scoreline. They have now won eight overall AMCC championships as well as two straight championships. The Lions were not ready to give up any match points in the tournament all through the weekend.

At the No. 1 doubles spot, Jonathon Laier and Ritvik Nadikude won 8-2 while Mason Harbaugh and Evan Dean were victorious at No. 3 doubles, winning 8-3. In the No. 2 spot, Mitchell May and Aidan Piazza wrapped up the doubles sweep with an 8-4 decision to put the Lions ahead. In singles, Nadikude and Harbaugh were able to finish their matches, pushing Behrend’s first and fourth singles to the top. In the No. 1 spot, Nadikude won 6-1, 6-0 while Harbaugh won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4 singles to secure the championship win for the Lions. The remaining singles matches were in progress when Behrend clinched the championship. The Lions finished their season with a 15-8 record and look forward to continuing their success next season.