Men's Tennis Set For Conference Tourney Debut Vs. STAC

4/29/2021 2:30:00 PM

MATCH #10
ECC CHAMPIONSHIP - PLAY-IN ROUND
(#3 SEED) DAEMEN WILDCATS (1-8, 0-6 ECC) vs. (#2 SEED) ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SPARTANS (5-3, 3-3 ECC)
FRIDAY, APRIL 30
QUEENS COLLEGE TENNIS CENTER (FLUSHING, N.Y.) - 3 P.M.
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19 - SEE QUEENS SPECTATOR POLICY

Here's three things to know about upcoming matches for the Daemen men's tennis team...

1. Daemen will play in the East Coast Conference Championship for the first time this Friday when they face second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas in the play-in round beginning at 3 p.m. The match will be live streamed on the ECC Network. The broadcast will focus primarily on the No. 1 singles and doubles courts, but will intermittently switch to coverage of other courts as well. All three ECC teams that competed this season are included in the conference tournament. The winner of Friday's match advances to Saturday's final round where top-seeded and tournament host Queens awaits.

2. Daemen will be looking to snap an eight-match slide, entering the postseason with an overall record of 1-8. The Wildcats will be facing St. Thomas Aquinas for the fourth time this season, and for the third time this week alone. Daemen has scored progressively better in all three matchups, moving from a 7-0 shutout loss at STAC on April 17 to 5-2 and 4-3 home losses earlier this week. Sophomore Ben Davis earned impressive singles wins in both matches this week, knocking off Lennart Lehmann in straight sets (6-0, 6-4) Monday, followed by a three-set victory (6-4, 2-6, 1-0) Tuesday over Kas Roosch. The two opponents are a combined 11-4 in singles play this season. Davis enters postseason play riding a three-match singles winning streak.

3. After fielding a 16-player roster in 2019-20, St. Thomas Aquinas is going with six players this spring. The roster includes returners Alvara Barranco, Matthew Corsi and Enej Hasicevic as well as three newcomers. Five of the six players hail from overseas. After having the start of their season delayed due to COVID-19 protocols, the Spartans posted a 5-3 regular season record, picking up non-conference wins over West Chester (6-1) and Kutztown (6-1) to go with three wins over Daemen in ECC play. The Spartans are looking to return to the final round of the ECC Championship as they did the last time the tournament was held in 2019.

Print Friendly Version