Reading, Pa. (May 2, 2014) - Third-seeded Elizabethtown College (7-10) won two of three doubles matches and the bottom three singles matches for a 5-3 win over #2 Alvernia University (9-9) Friday afternoon in semifinal action of the Commonwealth Conference Men's Tennis Championships at Governor Mifflin Courts.

The Jays took an 8-1 win at No. 2 doubles and an 8-5 win at No. 3.  The Alvernia team of Dennis Sult (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh) and Dan Minnich (Palmyra, Pa./Lower Dauphin) won 8-3 at No. 1 doubles to earn the first point of the match for the Crusaders--who were hosting their first conference championship match.

The teams alternated points in the singles matches with Etown taking a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 4 before Sult defeated Cole Turula 6-3, 6-0 at No. 1.  Sult finished the season undefeated in all singles and doubles matches against conference opponents.

Etown pulled within one win of taking the match with a 6-0, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles and Minnich earned another point for the hosts with a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 2.  The Jays then closed the match when Evan Hinkley won a 3-set match at No. 6.

Etown advances to face top-seeded Messiah in the conference final on Saturday.

#3 Elizabethtown 5, #2 Alvernia 3

 Singles competition
1. Dennis Sult (ALVMT) def. Cole Turula (ETWN-M) 6-3, 6-0
2. Dan Minnich (ALVMT) def. Michael Cannon (ETWN-M) 6-4, 6-1
3. Aaron Yuros (ALVMT) vs. Alex Machalick (ETWN-M) 6-4, 5-7, 1-4, unfinished
4. Matthew Hornbaker (ETWN-M) def. Jacob Conapitski (ALVMT) 6-0, 6-1
5. Joe Kirchner (ETWN-M) def. Ben Daubenspeck (ALVMT) 6-0, 6-4
6. Evan Hinkley (ETWN-M) def. Sean Boyd (ALVMT) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3

 Doubles competition
1. Dennis Sult/Dan Minnich (ALVMT) def. Cole Turula/Joe Kirchner (ETWN-M) 8-3
2. Michael Cannon/Alex Machalick (ETWN-M) def. Aaron Yuros/Jacob Conapitski (ALVMT) 8-1
3. Matthew Hornbaker/Nathan Dowling (ETWN-M) def. Ben Daubenspeck/Sean Boyd (ALVMT) 8-5

Match Notes:
Elizabethtown 7-10
Alvernia 9-9
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,1,5,2,6)
Commonwealth Conference Semifinals
Alvernia [2] vs. Elizabethtown [3]
Elizabethtown advances to Saturday's CC Final at Messiah
Elizabethtown earns sixth straight trip to CC Final
T-3:03  A-50