Men's Tennis Returns Home for Two Weekend Matches

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's tennis moves along in their spring 2019 action on Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24 when the Musketeers take on Wright State and Northern Kentucky. Saturday's match against Wright State is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. Xavier will then return to action the following day to take on Northern Kentucky at 5:00 p.m. Both contests will be held at Eastern Hills Indoor Tennis Club.

MATCH NOTES: WRIGHT STATE

Wright State will look to improve upon a 13-12 record last season.
Xavier fell to the Raiders 3-4 last season, despite playing exceptionally well in doubles play.
The Raiders are 3-5 so far this season, collecting wins against Belmont, Chicago State and St. Francis.
The Raiders are coached by Eric Burns.

MATCH NOTES: NORTHERN KENTUCKY

Northern Kentucky finished the 2017-18 season with a 2-13 record and went 0-7 in conference match play.
Xavier defeated NKU last season 6-1, earning wins in two doubles matches and victories in all but one singles match.
Northern Kentucky is 1-5 so far this season, and have yet to pick up a win on the road.
The Norse are coached by Brian Nester.

UP NEXT

After the Musketeers battle Wright State and Northern Kentucky, they will return to action on the road at Cleveland State to face Buffalo. The match will take place Saturday, March 2 and will begin at a time to be determined.

LAST TIME OUT: LOUISVILLE

In their last outing, the Musketeers fell narrowly, 5-2, at Louisville.
In doubles play, Louisville took the point after taking victories in the No.1 and No. 2 spot. The Cardinals defeated partners Jack Dykema and Brett Winters, 6-2, and claimed another 6-3 win over Matthew Graft and Connor LaFavre.
Louisville took a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-2 win in the No. 1 singles spot over Brett Winters. The Musketeers then got a point back after Michael Lee grabbed a win in the No. 6 spot, 6-1, 6-3.
Louisville then extended its lead with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Jack Dykema in the No. 2 spot, and Connor LaFavre fell to the Cardinals 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. Jan Vrba then fell in the No. 5 spot, giving Louisville its fourth and winning point.
Matthew Graft finished the day out strong for the Musketeers, winning the No. 3 spot 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, making the final score 5-2.

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 1-8 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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