Houghton Inches Closer to E8 Postseason with 7-2 win Over Alfred
HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- Houghton men's tennis earned a 7-2 win over Alfred University on Friday at the Kerr-Pegula Field House, leaving them firmly in third place in the conference before Saturday's regular season finale at Nazareth.
Houghton (10-6; 5-2 E8) also got its first win over Saxons since joining the E8 three seasons ago.
The Highlanders swept doubles play to start the day, led by the pairings of Chase Rangel and Jordan Crouch, Jordan Scott and Bjorn Webb and Zach Shilvock and Ethan Baker.
With a comfortable 3-0 lead, Houghton got straight-set wins in four of the six singles matchups. Crouch, Shilvock, Scott and Conner Barnes each took victories with Shilvock and Barnes winning with impressive 6-0, 6-1 scores. Scott won his match 6-2, 6-0.
| Singles competition |
| 1. Connor Doud (ALFREDM) def. Chase Rangel (HCMT15) 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2. Jordan Crouch (HCMT15) def. Mike Wisniewski (ALFREDM) 6-1, 6-3 |
| 3. Zach Shilvock (HCMT15) def. Matt Baloga (ALFREDM) 6-0, 6-1 |
| 4. Jordan Scott (HCMT15) def. Kevin Volz (ALFREDM) 6-2, 6-0 |
| 5. Pat Brown (ALFREDM) def. Bjorn Webb (HCMT15) 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) |
| 6. Connor Barnes (HCMT15) def. Kyle Kemper (ALFREDM) 6-0, 6-1 |
| Doubles competition |
| 1. Chase Rangel/Jordan Crouch (HCMT15) def. Connor Doud/Matt Baloga (ALFREDM) 8-3 |
| 2. Jordan Scott/Bjorn Webb (HCMT15) def. Kevin Volz/Pat Brown (ALFREDM) 8-1 |
| 3. Zach Shilvock/Ethan Baker (HCMT15) def. Mike Wisniewski/Kyle Kemper (ALFREDM) 8-3 |
A win Saturday over Nazareth will give the Highlanders the third seed in next weekend's E8 tournament. Houghton could still advance to postseason play with a loss, but would have to wait for the results from other conference matchups on Saturday and Sunday.