ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona men's tennis team got its 2021 schedule off to a good start on Saturday, when it earned a 7-2 victory over Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Medaille College at the Gorilla House Gym.

The Lions (1-0, 1-0 AMCC) staked out a 3-0 lead over Medaille (0-2, 0-2 AMCC) by prevailing in each of the opening three doubles matches. Penn State Altoona followed that up by winning four out of six singles matches to emerge with the five-point decision over its conference foe.

In No. 1 doubles, the duo of Jimmy Gillespie (Glen Mills, PA/Garnet Valley)/Ben Maus (Collegeville, PA/Perkiomen Valley) grabbed an 8-5 win. Jaydan Jacobs (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands/Charlotte Amalie)/Micah Brinker (Lock Haven, PA/PA Cyber) won 8-6 in the No. 2 doubles match, and Kirk Eichenlaub (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg)/Dominic Lisanti (Mechanicsville, MD/Chopticon) triumphed 8-4 in the No. 3 spot.

Gillespie helped the Lions keep their momentum going with a win in a No. 1 singles match that included a thrilling second-set tiebreaker, with Gillespie coming out on top 6-1, 7-6 (12-10). Jacobs secured a 6-1, 6-1 win in the No. 3 singles match, Lisanti mounted a comeback to win his No. 5 singles match 3-6, 6-0, 10-4, and Eichenlaub played to a 6-0, 6-3 victory in No. 6 singles.

With a conference win under their belts, the Lions return to action tomorrow, Sunday, March 7, when they will travel to face another AMCC opponent, Mount Aloysius College. The match is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. at the Ebensburg Tennis Center.