ROCHESTER, NY -- Visiting Houghton won three of the six singles matches, including the deciding match at fourth singles Saturday, to edge Nazareth in an Empire 8 men's tennis match, 5-4, on Annette Shapiro Courts.

Houghton clinched the 2022 Empire 8 Regular Season Championship with the win and will be the top seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Championship, set for May 6-7.

The victory was also Houghton's 29th straight in E8 regular season play. They are 30-1 in conference play since the start of the 2017-18 campaign. 

In the deciding match at fourth singles, Matthew Cicero rallied from a first-set deficit to defeat Nazareth's William Britton 6-4, 6-3. It was a rematch of the final match of last year's E8 Tournament Championship.

This was the Highlanders' second win over the Golden Flyers this season as they finished the regular season unbeaten in E8 matches at 8-0. Nazareth dropped to 9-4 overall and 5-2 in the Empire 8.

Nolan Zach and Levi Webb teamed up for a win in second doubles, while Cicero and Michah Schilke got an 8-2 win in third doubles. In the singles matches, Jaimie Staerkle (third) and Isaac Little (sixth) were able to secure victories, in addition to Cicero's decisive match-winner.

The Highlanders will now head on to the Empire 8 Tournament where they will be the top-seed for the second-straight year. They will play either Utica or Alfred who are battling for the fourth and final seed in separate matches on Sunday. The tournament is slated for May 6-7 at St. John Fisher College.