The Lewis-Clark State College men’s tennis team took an important step in earning a berth to the NAIA national tournament in May with a 6-3 win over the University of Alberta at the LCSC Indoor Tennis Center on Friday. 

The two are the only men’s tennis teams in Region I and the highest ranked team at the end of the season will receive a berth to nationals. The two teams will play again on Saturday morning at 8 a.m., and a sweep would likely mean the Warriors would stay ahead of Alberta for the remainder of the season. The two teams will not play again this season after Saturday. 

LCSC lost the top two singles matches and the first doubles match, but Jonatan Berhane and Arslan Mermut both went 2-0 on the day in singles and double play to lift the Warriors, now 7-5 overall. 

LCSC 6, ALBERTA 3

Singles –  Sean Friedrich, Alb, def. Cedric Dufour, 6-4, 6-4; Lane Richard, Alb, def. Oliver Stone, 6-4, 6-3; Kevin Lee, LC, def. Brent Dysart, 6-0, 6-2; Jonatan Berhane, LC, def. Kyle Runzer, 6-3, 6-1; Ali Faris, LC, def. Paul Freund, 6-2, 6-0; Arslan Mermut, LC, def. Owen Schlosser, 6-3, 6-2.

Doubles – Friedrich-Richard, Alb, def. Dufour-Lee, 8-6; Stone-Berhane, LC, def. Dysart-Runzer, 8-3; Mermut-Sabastian Kuhn, LC, def. Freund-Schlosser, 8-4.