Houghton College Men's Tennis team is moving into their third consecutive Empire 8 tournament finals appearance after their 5-0 win over Alfred University on Friday afternoon. Houghton's two previous final appearances ended in defeat to Stevens Institute of Technology, but this time around the Highlanders will be looking to change that narrative.

    In the semi-final action against Alfred, Houghton jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead, sweeping the doubles play. After a few tight games to start the match, the men settled in to play some of their best doubles as a collective unit. Micah Schilke and Jake Fisler battled to win the top spot 8-4, Ethan Yung and Levi Webb rolled to an 8-2 victory at the second position, and closing out the doubles action was Ben McKay and Adam Brown with a decisive 8-3 win at the third spot.

    The Highlanders celebrated Senior night before the match and it was only fitting that seniors Ethan Yung and Jake Fisler closed out the match with 6-2, 6-2 and 6-1,6-1 singles victories at the first and second spots respectively. The two seniors have undoubtedly been the anchor for the Highlanders throughout the year and proved to be so yet again. Jake Fisler added his 84th career win today, which makes him the all-time leader in victories in Houghton tennis's history as well!

    "It was a great match today. Aflred came to play and so did we. I'm really proud of how the guys played and the energy they brought to the court today. As I told them before the match, they have earned this moment with two years worth of work and dedication, not to mention the additional sacrifices they've made to play tennis during this pandemic. Congratulations to our seniors for their excellent wins today. And now it's time to look forward to the finals!" Said Head Coach Tonya McGraner after the match.

    The Highlander's will look to bring home their first Empire 8 title Sunday at 2pm against the winner of the Nazareth and St. John Fisher semi-final.