INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The West Liberty University men’s tennis team had its ticket punched to the 2022 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament on Tuesday night.
Coach Ronnie Hulewicz’s Hilltoppers were installed as the region’s No. 5 seed and will take on No. 4 seed Mercyhurst (Pa.) in an Atlantic Region semifinal on Monday at 11 a.m. at the Schoenbrun Park courts in Charleston.
The winner of the Mercyhurst-West Liberty match moves on to Tuesday’s regional championship match against top-seeded and No. 19-ranked Charleston, the tournament host. Tuesday’s winner moves on to the 16-team NCAA Division II Nationals set for later this month in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
The Lakers and Hilltoppers each boast lengthy NCAA regional resumes but this marks a return to NCAA Tournament play for both following brief hiatuses. This will be Mercyhurst’s 11th NCAA Division II Tournament appearance but its first since 2019. West Liberty is making its 9th NCAA tourney trip and its first since the 2017 season.
The Hilltoppers were runners-up in the Mountain East Conference regular season this spring and are coming off a 4-1 loss to Charleston in last weekend’s MEC Tournament championship match. The Lakers also finished second in the PSAC during the regular season. They come into the NCAA Tournament off a hard-fought 4-3 loss to Edinboro in the finals of the PSAC Tournament.
MEN’S TENNIS
Atlantic Region I
(at Charleston, W.Va.)
Monday, May 9
Semifinal
No. 4 Mercyhurst vs. No. 5 WEST LIBERTY, 11 a.m.
Tuesday, May 10
Championship
WEST LIBERTY/Mercyhurst winner vs. No. 1 Charleston