WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Senior Rob Smith (Middleburg, Pa./Selinsgrove) won both his singles matches on the first day of the MAC Individual Championships to lead the Lycoming College men's tennis team on Saturday, Oct. 21, at Kirby Park.
 
As the fourth seed at No. 2 singles, Smith was the lone Warrior to advance out of the first round as he defeated Eastern's Karl Finkbeiner in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. He defeated Stevenson's Wornden Ly, 7-5, 6-3, in the quarterfinals. In the first set, Smith was behind 5-4 and facing two set points down 15-40, but he came back to win that game as well as the next two to earn the 7-5 first-set win.
 
Smith is the first Warrior since 2015 to advance to the MAC Individual semifinals when Zack Collevechio and Zach High did so as a doubles team. He also improved to 29-18 in his career in singles play, which moved him into sixth in the career record book.
 
Smith will play No. 1 seeded Artym Nabokin of Wilkes in the semifinals on Sunday, Oct. 22, after the doubles semifinals will start at 9 a.m. at Kirby Park.
 
2017 MAC Men's Individual Championship
Oct. 21-22, 2017 at Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (Kirby Park)
Singles competition
No. 1 singles
R1          Max Moscowitz (FDU-Florham) def. Mitch Wheary (Lycoming) 6-1, 6-0
No. 2 singles
R1          Rob Smith (Lycoming) def. Karl Finkbeiner (Eastern) 6-0, 6-0
QF         Rob Smith (Lycoming) def. Wornden Ly (Stevenson) 7-5, 6-3
No. 3 singles
R1          John Zinzer (Arcadia) def. Son Phan (Lycoming) 6-2, 6-0
No. 4 singles
R1          Jimmy Souder (Alvernia) def. Alhoun Lundy (Lycoming) 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 singles
R1          Josh Ferraro (DeSales) def. Spencer Pedersen (Lycoming) 6-0, 6-3
No. 6 singles
R1          Cameron Tuck (King's) def. Duc Dang (Lycoming) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition
No. 1 doubles
R1          Ray McDermott/Wornden Ly (Stevenson) def. Mitch Wheary/Rob Smith (Lycoming) 8-3
No. 2 doubles
R1          Dominic Ferraro/Josh Ferraro (DeSales) def. Alhoun Lundy/Son Phan (Lycoming) 8-2
No. 3 doubles
R1          Matt Betz/Andrew Heon (Hood) def. Spencer Pedersen/Duc Dang (Lycoming) 8-1