READING, Pa.  – The Lebanon Valley College men's tennis team saw its undefeated season come to an end with a 4-3 loss at Albright College in the Commonwealth Conference regular season finale for both teams Thursday afternoon.

Albright (9-7, 5-2 CC) started the match by winning the doubles point, then won at first, second and sixth singles to pick up the victory and keep its Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) playoff hopes alive.

Lebanon Valley (11-1, 6-1 CC), which had already clinched the Commonwealth Conference championship after Albright's loss to Moravian on Monday, won at No. 3 doubles, as senior Chris Keeney (Leola, Pa./Conestoga Valley) and junior Zach Cook (Schaefferstown, Pa./ELCO) combined for an 8-6 victory at No. 3.

At No. 1 doubles, junior Ryan Wendell (Shiloh, N.J./Cumberland Regional) and freshman Stuart Hartman (Hershey, Pa./Lower Dauphin) were handed a 9-8 (7-5) loss, their first of the season after starting 11-0.

In singles action, freshman Erik Vargo (Lititz, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) kept his perfect record intact, winning 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3 to improve to 12-0. Senior Andy Platt (York, Pa./York Suburban) won 7-5, 6-3 at No. 4 to hike his record to 11-1 while Hartman pulled out a 7-5, 6-3 victory to push his record to 10-2.

Cook lost a heartbreaking 6-7 (7-4), 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) decision at No. 6 while suffering his first defeat of the season. Cook is now 10-1.

Lebanon Valley returns to the courts on Saturday, when it hosts an opponent to be determined in the semifinals of the MAC playoffs. The Flying Dutchmen will take on the second-place finisher in the MAC Freedom Conference and face either FDU-Florham, the University of Scranton or Wilkes University. Lebanon Valley has qualified for the MAC playoffs in six of the last eight years and has advanced to the championship match in each of the last two seasons.

Doubles
1. Jeremy Speicher/Tim Laura (A) def. Stuart Hartman/Ryan Wendell, 9-8 (7-5)
2. Matt Zimmerman/Ian Matlack (A) def. Andy Platt/Erik Vargo, 8-2
3. Chris Keeney/Zach Cook (LV) def. Roy Finney/Jeff Sussman, 8-6

Singles
1. Speicher (A) def. Wendell, 6-3, 6-2
2. Zimmerman (A) def. Keeney, 6-2, 6-1
3. Vargo (LV) def. Finney, 6-2, 6-2
4. Platt (LV) def. Matlack, 7-5, 6-3
5. Hartman (LV) def. Lauro, 7-5, 6-3
6. Anthony Checchio (A) def. Cook, 6-7 (7-4), 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)

[Photo - Freshman Erik Vargo, who won at No. 3 singles against Albright to improve to 12-0 on the season]

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