WHEELING, W. Va.—Franciscan University of Steubenville's Baron tennis team earned a very important victory Sunday afternoon over the Penn State Altoona Lions in a conference home match held at Wheeling Park. In a close set of matches, Franciscan came out beating the Lions 5-4. The win marks a 5-1 overall standing and a 2-1 conference standing for the Barons.

"Today was a big win," noted head coach Curtis Allen. "Penn State Altoona has been at the top of the conference year after year. For us to get a win of this magnitude is huge. This was definitely a statement match."

Doubles teams Paul Jarzynka and Brian Robau, and Leonel Lacayo and Luke Merry defeated the Lions 8-6 and 9-7, respectively. The final scores show the fight the Barons had to put up to topple the Lions.

The Barons continued to prove their ability to perform well under pressure in the singles round. Despite evenly splitting the wins with the Lions, Franciscan's top-seeded men swept their opponents. Leonel Lacayo defeated Nick Navarre 6-3, 6-0; Paul Jarzynka tallied a 6-3, 6-2 win over Steve Dull; and Brian Robau beat Mike Reinhardt 6-1, 6-1.

"My guys played great today," said Coach Allen. "My top three [seeds]: Leonel Lacayo, Paul Jarzynka, and Brian Robau all played very well. A lot of pressure has been riding on their shoulders this year, and so far they have handled it really well."

Luke Merry faced a tough match against Jarred Sutton, losing his first set 1-6 but bouncing back for a 6-4 second-set win. Pushed into a tiebreaker, Merry fell 10-4 to Sutton.  

This victory is the team's fourth in a row, setting a hopeful pace for continued success. "We look to continue to build on this big win and get back to work trying to get better every day," Coach Allen said. The Barons travel to Washington and Jefferson College for their next match April 5, with the game beginning at 3:30 p.m.