HOUGHTON, NY – The Alfred University men's tennis team saw its season come to an end in the Empire 8 Semifinal to defending league champion and top-seeded Houghton College, falling by a 5-0 score from the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex Friday afternoon.
 
Alfred, the fourth seed in the tournament, finishes its season at 4-9. The Highlanders (9-3) advance to the Empire 8 Championship game, and they will host either No. 2 St. John Fisher or No. 3 Nazareth on Sunday.
 
Alfred took early leads in each of its doubles matches, but the defending Empire 8 champions rallied to take a 3-0 lead. At No. 3, the duo of first year Sam Cohen (Brighton, NY/Brighton) and sophomore Wes Dennison (Almond, NY/Alfred-Almond) fell to Adam Brown and Ben McKay by an 8-3 score. At No. 2, seniors Logan Cross (Olean, NY/Olean) and Adam Shearer (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) fell 8-2 to Ethan Yung and Logan Webb. At the top doubles spot, senior Ryan Brown (Olean, NY/Olean) and first year Isaac Little (Alfred, NY/Alfred-Almond) dropped an 8-4 decision to Jake Fisler and Micah Schilke.
 
Houghton moved closer to clinching the match, as Cross dropped a 0-6, 1-6 decision to Fisler at No. 2. From there, the Saxons tried to stage a furious rally, as Dennison and Little each took a set in the contest, while Shearer and Cohen battled to close the gap in their second sets. Houghton eventually prevailed, as Yung clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Brown at No. 1.
 
"First and foremost, congrats are due to Houghton," said head coach Jordan Crouch. "They're a talented team and well-coached and they deserved it today. Best of luck to them on Sunday in the championship.
 
"Secondly, I want to thank and congratulate our three seniors on a great career. AU Tennis would not be where it is without the blood, sweat, and tears from Adam, Ryan, and Mike. I'm excited to see where life leads for those three and I hope to see them back here as much as possible.
 
"Third, I would like to thank President Zupan, Kim Guyer, Paul Vecchio, and the Empire 8 for helping orchestrate as much of a season as we had this year. Their hard work was not unnoticed by our players every day. I would also like to thank Tori for all the help that she has been for us this year. We would not be where we are without her guidance. She's made me a better coach and helped bring this team together every day.
 
"Finally, special thanks to all our support staff that served our staff and players 24 hours a day, seven days a week for an entire year. This includes Nate, Chris, Tony, Colleen, Adam, all our athletic training staff (including Marley), and everyone else that I may have missed. Thanks so much for all the sacrifices to make this year possible and enjoyable for our team. I love this team and I love this school. We'll be back again!"