GLENSIDE, Pa. --- The top seeded Moravian College men's tennis team fell to second seed the United States Merchant Marine Academy, 5-3, in the 2016 ECAC Division III Outdoor Championship match Sunday afternoon hosted by Arcadia University.
The Greyhounds, who were the defending ECAC champions, finished the 2015-16 season with a 13-7 record under first-year head coach Alan Heverly. When the Blue and Grey and USMMA met during the Landmark Conference regular season on April 10, the Hounds had posted a 5-4 win.
Moravian trailed 2-1 after doubles action against the Mariners on Sunday. USMMA won the third doubles contest to begin the match before Greyhound seniors Matt Tuorto and John Wylie posted an 8-4 triumph at first doubles to tie the contest. The win for the duo was their 18th of the year, breaking their single season school mark that they set in 2014-15. Tuorto and Wylie finished their doubles career at 56-33 including 35-12 over the last two seasons. USMMA captured the second doubles match to retake the lead in the match.
USMMA won the first two singles matches to finish at fifth singles and second singles before senior C.J. Widdifield posted a straight sets win at fourth singles to cut the deficit to 4-2. Junior Giovanni Lombardi was next off the court for the Hounds with the three-set victory at third singles to pull Moravian within a point before the Mariners captured a three-set match at first singles to clinch the title.
Tuorto finished his career with a 43-44 singles record at Moravian while Wylie had 38 career singles victories. Widdifield posted 28 singles and 26 doubles wins in his four years in Bethlehem.