EWING, N.J. – The No. 54 TCNJ men's tennis team put up a strong resistance in Saturday's WIAC championship clash with 30^th-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater, but the Warhawks had just enough to hold off the hosts and capture a 4-2 victory in the teams' third consecutive conference title tilt.
 
Brett Schuster was a double-winner for the Lions, whose season came to an end with an overall record of 9-8. Whitewater, meanwhile, will head to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth year in a row after edging out a tight championship bout.
 
The Warhawks (16-5) grabbed a quick lead with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, although Schuster and Alberto Thomas played their match to completion and came away with a 7-6 (0) tiebreaker victory over Payton Adkisson and Tyler Nelson at number two.
 
Whitewater upped its lead to 3-0 in quick succession with matching 7-5, 6-3 wins in the fourth and sixth singles flights, but the Lions refused to lie down.
 
Schuster edged Nelson 7-6 (5), 6-4 at number three to get TCNJ on the board, and Harrison Maitland-Carter came from a set down to keep the blue and alive with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of Theo Billson in the top flight.
 
However, Giovanni Vitali broke Nathan Chan at 4-4 in the second set and served out the match for a clinching 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory at number five.
 
Thomas was leading Reuben Giorgio, 2-1, in the third set at No. 2 when the match ended.
 
UP NEXT

• Maitland-Carter will hope to earn a bid to the NCAA Singles Championship, as well as the NCAA Doubles Championship alongside partner Asa Wong