Men's Tennis Begins Pair of Weekend Matches with BIG EAST Foe

CINCINNATI – Xavier men's tennis moves along in their spring 2019 action on Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9 when the Musketeers take on DePaul and Dayton. Saturday's BIG EAST matchup is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Eastern Hills Indoor Tennis Club. Xavier will then return to action the following day to take on Dayton at 1:00 p.m. in Dayton, OH.

MATCH NOTES: DEPAUL

DePaul finished the 2017-18 season 17-10 overall.
The Blue Demons fell to Marquette in the BIG EAST Men's Tennis Championship title match last season.
The Musketeers defeated DePaul on the road last season 4-3.
DePaul is 7-6 so far this season and is winless in away matches.

MATCH NOTES: DAYTON

Dayton finished the 2017-18 season with an 18-7 record, losing only one conference match.
The Flyers defeated Xavier last season 6-1 on Mar. 16.
Fell to VCU in Atlantic 10 Tournament Finals 4-1.
The Flyers are 7-4 so far this season.

UP NEXT

After the Musketeers battle DePaul and Dayton, they will return to action on Tuesday, March 12 to take on Howard. The match will take place in Orlando, Florida at a time to be determined.

LAST TIME OUT: CLEVELAND STATE

Xavier defeated Cleveland State on March 3, topping the Vikings 4-3.
In doubles, Xavier picked up the point to go ahead, 1-0, with a 6-1 win in the No. 2 spot for Matthew Graft and Connor LaFavre, and a 6-4 win the No. 3 spot for Michael Lee and Jan Vrba. Brett Winters and Jack Dykema were defeated by the Vikings in the No. 1 spot, 6-3.
The Vikings tied the score at 1-1 after a two-set victory in the No. 4 singles spot, defeating Connor LaFavre, 6-2, 6-3. Cleveland State then pulled ahead 2-0 after a 6-3, 6-2 win over Brett Winters in the No. 1 spot. Xavier's Jan Vrba then fell in the No. 5 spot, 3-6, 2-6, as the Vikings extended their lead.
Xavier responded with three straight wins to secure the 4-3 victory. In the No. 6 spot, Michael Lee defeated William Malm, 6-2, 7-5, and teammate Matthew Graft took care of business in the No. 3 spot, taking the 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Benjamin Slade.
With the score tied 3-3, the match came down to the No. 2 singles spot. Jack Dykema secured a 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over the Vikings, giving Xavier their first road win of the season.

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 4-9 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.

Schedule

Upcoming Events

Men's Tennis Begins Pair of Weekend Matches with BIG EAST Foe

Players Mentioned

Jack Dykema

Matthew Graft

Connor LaFavre

Michael Lee

Dominic Macaluso

Trent Smith

Jan Vrba

Oliver Weaver

Brett Winters

Upcoming Events

Xavier University Athletics

Men's Tennis Begins Pair of Weekend Matches with BIG EAST Foe

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Players Mentioned

Jack Dykema

Matthew Graft

Connor LaFavre

Michael Lee

Dominic Macaluso

Trent Smith

Jan Vrba

Oliver Weaver

Brett Winters

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