Men's Tennis | 5/2/2026 9:31:00 PM
AUGUSTA, ME – The St. John Fisher men's tennis team cemented the 2025-26 season as the best in program history on Saturday, defeating Alfred 4-3 at the A. Copi Tennis & Sports Center to capture its first Empire 8 Conference Championship. With the win, the Cardinals (12-3), the No. 1 seed from the E8 West Division, secured the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth and extended their winning streak to 11 matches. The contest marked St. John Fisher's first appearance in the conference championship dual match.
Alfred (14–6), the No. 2 seed from the E8 West Division, fell to St. John Fisher for the third time this season.
The Empire 8 named St. John Fisher junior Tyler Hernandez its Tournament MVP. Hernandez went 2-0 in the tournament in first singles, recording wins over Jaxon Redmond of Norwich in the semifinal round and Alfred's Ricardo Alvarez in the championship.
The Cardinals claimed the doubles point with two victories and secured the title in singles with three victories.
Senior Sean Brown and freshman Finn Whitaker topped Andre Lopez Jimenez and Breece Erickson 6-3 in second doubles, and freshmen Matthew Lincoln and Sebastian Dix recorded a 6-1 win in third doubles over Matt Bittel and Josh Erickson.
The Saxons held a 3-2 lead in the match after victories from Lopez Jimenez in second singles, Erickson in third singles and Anlun Zwerver in fourth singles.
Brown and sophomore Charlie Roberts delivered the match-clinching victories in fifth and sixth singles, respectively. Brown topped Bittel in straight sets, and Roberts outlasted Erickson in three frames, winning the second and third sets after dropping the first one 6-2.
Doubles Results
Doubles 1: Tyler Hernandez/Will Chubb (SJF) vs. Ricardo Alvarez/Anlun Zwerver (AU) unfinished
Doubles 2: Finn Whitaker/Sean Brown (SJF) def. Andre Lopez Jimenez/Breece Erickson (AU) 6-3
Doubles 3: Matthew Lincoln/Sebastian Dix (SJF) def. Matthew Bittel/Josh Erickson (AU) 6-1
Singles Results
Doubles 1: Tyler Hernandez (SJF) def. Ricardo Alvarez (AU) 6-3, 7-6
Doubles 2: Andre Lopez Jimenez (AU) def. Will Chubb (SJF) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles 3: Breece Erickson (AU) def. Matthew Lincoln (SJF) 7-6, 6-1
Doubles 4: Anlun Zwerver (AU) def. Sebastian Dix (SJF) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles 5: Sean Brown (SJF) def. Matthew Bittel (AU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles 6: Charlie Roberts (SJF) def. Josh Erickson (AU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
Match Notes
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The Cardinals' 12 victories mark their most in a season since the 2006 team won 13 matches. Fisher went 10-0 this season against E8 teams including regular season and postseason contests.
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Brown improved his singles record to 7-0.
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Hernandez improved to 11-4 in first singles on the season.
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Lincoln and Dix recorded their seventh consecutive victory as doubles partners.
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Brown and Whitaker won their third consecutive match as a doubles tandem and moved to 6-4 on the year.
Up Next
The Cardinals will prepare for the NCAA Division III Tournament.