The Lancaster Bible College women's tennis team opened North Eastern Athletic Conference play with a victory on Tuesday, as the Chargers downed Penn St. Berks, 7-2 in Reading, Pa. The victory propels the Chargers to 3-2 overall this season and 1-0 in conference play, while the NIttany Lions fell to 0-1 overall and 0-1 in NEAC action.
 
Doubles: Lancaster Bible got off to a good start on Tuesday, winning two of the three doubles matches, as the No. 1 team Deanna Graber and Cara DiCiano earned an 8-3 victory. With Haylee Fishel sidelined with an injury, the No. 2 team featured Kenedi Berkhimer and Chloe Campbell, and the pair stepped up in a big way with an 8-0 victory over Meredith Hill and Brianna McMonagle. The No. 3 team of Kaitlin Kirby and Alycia Eglauer batted in their match, but fell, 8-5.
 
Singles: Graber and DiCiano kept rolling in singles play, as Graber won her No. 1 singles match, 6-1, 6-2, and DiCiano earned a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles. Berkhimer won a tough match at No. 3 singles, 7-6 (1), 6-4 over Hill which clinched the victory for the Chargers, and Kirby won her match at No. 4 singles, with a 7-6 (5) victory in the first set, before her opponent Lesley Casanas was forced to retire with an injury. Campbell earned a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 5 singles, and Eglauer dropped contest at No. 6 singles.
 
The Coach Says: "We entered today in some unfamiliar territory with the recent  injury to Haylee Fishel, but we shook up our doubles pairings and players were able to step up and play well," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Rod Baughman said. "We've been talking about an individual commitment toward a group effort, and I was pleased with the commitment to individual improvement that helped our team find success today. I was super proud of the way Kenedi stepped into the No. 3 match today, and battled for the clinching win!"
 
News & Notes: Tuesday marked just the second time in program history the Chargers have beaten the Nittany Lions, as the Chargers are now 2-11 all-time against Penn St. Berks…This is the second straight time the Chargers have defeated the Nittany Lions, as Lancaster Bible beat Penn St. Berks exactly two years ago on Apr. 6, 2019…DiCiano improved to 5-0 in singles play this season, while Graber and Berkhimer improved to 3-2 in singles action this season.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible hosts Penn College on Saturday at Hempfield Rec Center in Landisville, Pa…Senior Haylee Fishel will be honored prior to the match as part of Senior Day, with the match beginning at 1 p.m.