LHU Tennis Returns, Bald Eagles Fall to Lyco
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University women’s tennis team made its official return Sunday as the Bald Eagles hosted Lycoming College on a gorgeous late-summer afternoon in north-central Pennsylvania.
The contest marked the first home varsity women’s tennis match since October 3, 1992, as the match served as the official return of LHU women’s tennis. It was announced back in August 2018 that tennis was returning to The Haven.
Lycoming picked up a 7-0 win and improved to 1-1 on the season. The Warriors lost to Elizabethtown, 8-1, Saturday in Lyco’s home-opener. Lock Haven is now 0-1.
“This was obviously a special day for the program and I’m proud of how our kids battled against a strong opponent,” said head coach John Machak, a central-Pennsylvania (Renovo) native. “It felt great to compete and get that first match behind us. I’m excited about the future of this program.”
At No. 1 doubles LHU’s Delani Wolever (Northumberland, Pa./Shikellamy) and Hailey Risley (North Bend, Pa./Bucktail) fell to Hannah Summerson and Aubrey Chambers, 8-1. At No. 2 doubles, Lycoming’s Wiliana Lundy and Madie Heller won 8-0.
At No. 1 singles, Summerson, a returning All-Conference selection, for Lycoming, downed Wolever, 6-0, 6-0.
Risley played well at No. 2 singles for the Bald Eagles and came up just short in the first set, a set that ended in a tiebreaker. Lycoming’s Aubrey Chambers won the first set 7-6, thanks to a 7-3 win in the tiebreak. Chambers took the second set, 6-0.
After dropping the first set, 6-0, at No. 3 singles, Jayna Brodnicki (Morris, Pa./North Penn-Liberty) bounced back with a strong second set. She won five games, but was edged out 7-5.
Victoria Bensinger (Northampton, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) and Kayla Mushala (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) represented Lock Haven at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively today.
The match with Lycoming marked the first of two home dates during the fall portion of the season. LHU will also host Penn College on Homecoming Saturday (September 28) at 1 p.m.
Machak, who was selected as the head coach February 4, 2019, has strong ties to area tennis and he will look to rebuild the program from the ground up starting this fall. Prior to LHU, Machak spent three years coaching at the NCAA Division III level at Penn College in Williamsport. He served as the head coach for both the men’s and women’s programs.
Machak’s roster currently features seven student-athletes including several local products.
During the fall, the Bald Eagles will also play at the Bloomsburg Invitational (September 21-22) and LHU will travel to Misericordia on October 2. Lock Haven will round out the fall season at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Singles & Doubles Championships, hosted by Bloomsburg on October 5-7.
Historically, LHU has had success on the courts. The Bald Eagles went undefeated during the 1973 and 1983 season and hold over 100 total victories. Lock Haven has also crowned seven individual conference champions.
LHU will head to the Bloomsburg University Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, September 21-22.
