HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- Houghton men's tennis defeated Nazareth, 5-1, on Saturday to claim its second-straight Empire 8 Tournament Championship and its third in the past four years.

The Highlanders, seeded No. 1 and hosting the tournament, now advance to the first round of the NCAA National Tournament with the victory. Opponent, date and location will be announced in an NCAA selection show on Monday.

Once again, Houghton doubles got the Highlanders off to a great start as the team went 2-1 in the pairings. A decisive 8-3 victory for Levi Webb and Nolan Zach at first doubles and a gutsy, tough 8-6 win by Tobias Webb and Jason Murphy at third doubles put the Highlanders within three wins of the overall match victory.

Levi Webb (6-2, 6-3 at second singles) and Preston Tobolski (6-0, 6-1 at sixth singles) were the first matches to finish, then Nolan Zach closed out the match with a 6-0, 7-5 win in second singles.

"This was our best team performance of the year. Tobias and Jason at third doubles yet again pulled out a tight match," said Head Coach Matthew Webb. "Then our singles play today was the best of the season. The team really came together today. We knew that beating Naz for a third time this year would not be easy, but the guys showed up for their best performance of the year. We are excited to head to nationals again."

The 2024 NCAA DIII men's tennis championship begins with a team selection show on Monday, May 6 at 12:30 p.m. ET streamed live on NCAA.com followed by early round action at regional sites May 10-12. Team winners from opening weekend will advance to the final championship location in St. Louis, Mo., May 20-24. The individual (singles and doubles) selections will be announced in a press release on NCAA.com on Wednesday, May 8.

The individual championship directly follows team competition and consists of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams competing from Sunday, May 26 through Tuesday, May 28. The selection of teams and individuals for the championships is based on won-lost record, strength of schedule and eligibility and availability of student-athletes.

Learn more about the selections and tournament bracket.