Scranton Advances To Landmark Championship With 5-2 Win Over Juniata
Courtesy of Scranton Athletic Communications
SCRANTON, Pa. - In the span of about 90 seconds, The University of Scranton men's tennis team went from a tie match against Juniata on Wednesday to advancing to this weekend's Landmark Conference championship.
Junior Brian Harkins and freshmen Tarquin McGurrin and Connor Lemieux posted singles victories nearly simultaneously to clinch second-seeded Scranton's first trip to the Landmark championship since 2013.
McGurrin was a two-time winner for the Royals (13-3), as he teamed with his brother, senior Keller McGurrin to post an 8-4 win at no. 1 doubles. The pairing of senior Christian Aksu and junior Charles Swope rolled to an 8-0 win at no. 3 doubles as the Royals led, 2-1, after doubles play.
Juniata (10-8) evened up the match with a quick win at no. 2 singles, but Scranton held a lead in the other five singles matches as they each headed into the second set. Harkins was the next Royal off the court, posting a 6-0, 6-0 win at no. 5 singles. Tarquin McGurrin was right behind him with a 6-1, 6-1 win at no. 1, and in the blink of an eye, Lemieux ended the match when he completed a 6-0, 6-0 win at no. 6.
Scranton will be aiming for its first-ever conference championship when the Royals face either top-seeded Goucher or fourth-seeded Susquehanna in the title match this weekend. The semifinal between the Gophers and River Hawks was still in doubles play at the time of this release.