LAKEVILLE, Minn. - The Martin Luther College men's tennis team secured a spot in the UMAC Tennis Championships with a 5-4 win over Bethany Lutheran College on Saturday at Lifetime Fitness Center.

The two teams entered the day tied in the UMAC standings with matching 3-3 records, and the winner would clinch the fourth and final spot in the postseason conference tournament. 

The Knights got off to a strong start by taking two of the three doubles matches. The number-one doubles team of Josh Koelpin and Jonah Schulz won 8-6, and the number-three team of Caleb Koelpin and Seth Koelpin won 8-0. BLC took the number-two match 8-2.

In singles play, the Knights were able to get the three wins necessary to score the overall win. Caleb Koelpin (6-1, 6-1) and Seth Koelpin (6-0, 6-0) cruised to wins in straight sets at the bottom of the line-up, while Nicolas Gartner came through in the number-two match with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 win.

MLC improved to 8-8 overall and 4-3 in UMAC play with the win. BLC fell to 5-8 on the season and 3-4 in league play in defeat. 

The Knights will play at regular season champion St. Scholastica on Monday, April 29, in the semi-final round of the UMAC Championships. That match is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. in Duluth, Minn.