CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The regionally-ranked West Liberty University men's tennis team cruised to a 4-0 shutout of Fairmont State here Saturday in the second of two Mountain East Conference Tournament semifinals at the Charleston Tennis Club.
    Coach Ronnie Hulewicz's Hilltoppers, ranked No. 5 in the region, will take on top-seeded and nationally-ranked Charleston in Sunday's MEC Tournament championship match. First serve is set for noon at the Schoenbaum Park courts, weather permitting. The Golden Eagles defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, 4-0, in Saturday's other semifinal.
    West Liberty wasted little time taking care of business against the outmanned Falcons, who were ranked No. 6 in the region but had lost two of their last three matches coming into the tournament.
    The Hilltoppers took control quickly with the No. 2 doubles tandem of Daisuke Aota and Isfan Makhmudov and the No. 3 doubles pairing of Moritz Erpel and Gianluca Gerndt posting identical 6-2 wins to claim the doubles point.
    West Liberty were just as efficient in singles action with a trio of straight-set wins finishing off the match.
    Anton Schulz breezed to a 6-2 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles and Makhmudov was even more impressive with a 6-2 6-0 rout in the No. 5 slot. A 6-1 6-4 win by Nevio Dux at No. 6 singles wrapped things up with the other three singles matches halted in progress.
  Dux/Schulz (WLU) vs. Losick/Barozzi (FSU), dnf
Aota/Makhmudov (WLU) d. Saadevandi/Velayos, 6-2
Erpel/Gerndt (WLU) d. Watanabe/Boone, 6-2 Erpel (WLU) vs. Losick (FSU), dnf
Schulz (WLU) d. Barozzi, 6-2 6-2
Gerndt (WLU) vs. Saadevandi (FSU), dnf
Aota (WLU) vs. Watanabe (FSU), dnf
Makhmudov (WLU) d. Velayos, 6-2 6-0
Dux (WLU) d. Stacy, 6-1 6-4