Men's Tennis Travels to Cleveland for a Pair of Matches

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's tennis moves along in their spring 2019 action on Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3 when the Musketeers take on Buffalo and Cleveland State. Saturday's match against Buffalo is set to begin at 10:00 a.m. Xavier will then return to action the following day to take on Cleveland State at 10:00 a.m. Both contests will be at Cleveland State in Cleveland, OH.

MATCH NOTES: BUFFALO

The Bulls finished last season with a 13-10 record overall.
Buffalo and Xavier did not play last season.
Buffalo has six international athletes from countries including Sweden, Chile, South Africa and Malaysia.
Buffalo is 3-3 so far this season, recording wins against Harvard, Mercer and Quinnipiac.
Buffalo is 1-0 this season at neutral sites.
The Bulls are led by senior Ethan Nittolo and are coached by Lee Nickell.

MATCH NOTES: CLEVELAND STATE

The Musketeers will take on Cleveland State at the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion in Cleveland, OH.
Cleveland State finished last season 17-11, losing only 1 match at home.
Xavier fell to the Vikings last season 3-4 after struggling in singles play.
The Vikings are 7-5 this season and are 4-1 at home so far.
Cleveland State is led by two seniors: William Malm and Benjamin Slade.

UP NEXT

After the Musketeers battle Buffalo and Cleveland State, they will return home for a BIG EAST matchup with DePaul. The match will take place Friday, March 8 and will begin at 1:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: NKU

Xavier picked up their second straight win on February 24, topping NKU 5-2 at home.
The Musketeers started off with a 1-0 lead after taking victories in the No. 3 and No. 1 doubles spots. Jan Vrba and Michael Lee took the No. 3 spot, winning 6-1, and teammates Jack Dykema and Brett Winters defeated NKU in the No. 1 spot 6-4, securing the point. Matthew Graft and Connor LaFavre were ahead, 5-4, when the point was decided.
Xavier continued their success in singles play, as Matthew Graft recorded a two-set victory, 6-1, 6-2, in the No. 3 singles spot. Jan Vrba also grabbed a two-set win in the No. 5 singles spot, winning 6-3, 6-0.
In the No. 1 spot, Brett Winters secured the Musketeer victory with a 6-3, 6-4 win, giving Xavier their fourth point.
Michael Lee gave Xavier their final point with a 6-4, 6-1 win in the No. 6 spot.

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 3-8 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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