Men’s Tennis Looks to Get Back on Track in Two Weekend Home Matches

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's tennis moves along in their spring 2019 action on Friday, February 15 and Saturday, February 16 when the Musketeers take on Bryant and Richmond. Friday's match against Bryant is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. Xavier will then return to action the following day to take on the Richmond Spiders at 4:30 p.m. Both contests will be held at Eastern Hills Indoor Tennis Club.

MATCH NOTES: BRYANT

Finished with a 14-16 overall record in 2017-18 and went undefeated in conference play.
Xavier and Bryant did not meet up in any fall invitationals in 2018.
The Bulldogs are 1-4 so far this season, winning their only home match and losing three matches on the road. One loss came at a neutral site.
Bryant went 0-4 in the month of January, suffering losses to Tulsa, Texas Tech, Dartmouth and Brown.
The Bulldogs claimed their first victory of the season on Feb. 9, defeating Boston University 6-1.
Bryant is coached by Ron Gendron in his 13^th season for the Bulldogs.

MATCH NOTES: RICHMOND

Richmond finished last season with a 14-11 record, winning half of their matches at neutral sites.
The Spiders are 4-2 this season, defeating foes Hampton, Wofford, UNCG and Appalachian State.
Richmond's two losses came at the hands of VCU and ECU on January 24 and February 8.
The Spiders are led by one senior: Brice Polender.
Head Coach Houston Barrick is in his second at Richmond following five years at VCU as the Associate Head Coach.

UP NEXT

After the Musketeers battle Bryant and Richmond, they will return to action on the road at Louisville. The match will take place Thursday, February 21 and will begin at 6:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: GEORGETOWN

In their last outing, the Musketeers fell narrowly, 4-3, at Georgetown in their second straight conference match.
In doubles play, Georgetown took the point after taking victories in the No.1 and No. 3 spot. The Hoyas defeated partners Jack Dykema and Brett Winters, 6-2, and claimed another 6-2 win over Michael Lee and Jan Vrba.
Xavier was successful in singles play, however, collecting three points on the day. Jack Dykema won the No. 2 spot, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. In the No. 3 spot, Matthew Graft recorded a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 win. Michael Lee also claimed a victory in the No. 6 spot, winning 7-5, 6-3.
Georgetown took wins in the No. 1 and No. 4 spots over Brett Winters and Connor LaFavre.
In the No. 5 spot, Jan Vrba took an early lead with a 6-3 win in the first set before falling, 2-6, 3-6, in the final two sets, giving the Hoyas their winning point.

THE MUSKETEERS

Xavier's roster is deep with upper-classmen, with three seniors and two juniors. Returning seniors include Jack Dykema, Connor LaFavre, and Trent Smith. Juniors Matthew Graft and Michael Lee also return.
Sophomores Brett Winters and Jan Vrba return for the Musketeers.
Xavier also added freshmen Dominic Macaluso and Oliver Weaver.
Xavier is 1-5 so far this season.

FALL HIGHLIGHTS

Xavier opened the fall invitational tournament at the Greater Cincinnati Invitational at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Brett Winters posted a strong performance, sweeping the No. 1 flight. Overall, Xavier went 12-9 in singles play and won six doubles matches.
At the Dayton Hidden Duals, the Musketeers came away with team wins over two of the three teams, picking up dominant wins over NKU, 7-1 and Wright State, 6-1, while falling 7-2 to the Flyers.
Four Musketeers competed in the ITA Ohio Valley Regionals at Tennessee, with Jack Dykema and Brett Winters advancing to the round of 32 in the 128-person main draw. Connor LaFavre and Matthew Graft also competed in the main draw in both singles and doubles. In doubles, the pair took Vanderbilt's Ross and Srabert to five tiebreakers before falling narrowly.
Xavier closed the fall at the Louisville Invite, where the Musketeers collected 23 wins and had a competitor advance to the consolation final in all four singles flights.

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