Cincinnati, Ohio - The Youngstown State men's tennis team advanced to the Horizon League Championship match with a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 2-seeded Tennessee State, where the match came down to a decisive No. 5 singles match.

The outcome of the semifinal match came down to No. 5 singles, where Oscar Gippet recorded his 24th singles victory of the season, moving into third place on the program's all-time single-season wins list.

After dropping the first set 6-4, Gippet rallied to win the next two sets, 7-5, 6-4, clinching the match and sending the Penguins to their first Horizon League Championship appearance since 2022, when they defeated IUPUI to capture the program's first title.

YSU will face Tennessee Tech for the championship tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. with a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line. The Golden Eagles advanced to the championship match with a 4-1 win over Belmont on Saturday.

The Penguins opened up play by securing the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3.

At No. 1, Alexis Maulouet and Rafael Le Fur earned a 7-6 (8-6) victory, followed by Oscar Gippet and Mihai Haita grabbing an 8-6 (9-7) win to give YSU a 1-0 lead heading into singles play. The Penguins trailed 5-4 at No. 2 when the point was clinched.

Tennessee State evened the match 1-1 with a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles. From there, the Tigers and Penguins traded points throughout the nearly four-hour contest.

Dominik Vonbank put YSU back in front with his 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory at No. 3. TSU responded by taking No. 6 singles in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, to tie the match once again.

Rafael Le Fur delivered his first collegiate postseason singles win at No. 4, giving the Guins a 3-2 edge. Le Fur took the opening set 6-1, dropped the second 7-5, and rallied to win the third 6-4.

With the clinching point within reach, Tennessee State extended the match by earning a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles.