HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's tennis team looks to return to its winning ways this week when the Norse head to the Sunshine State for three matches, including a pair of Atlantic Sun Conference tilts.
The action begins on Wednesday, when the Norse take on Bethune-Cookman for a noon start. The Norse then enter conference play the following day with a 4 p.m. first serve at Stetson. The weekend concludes on Saturday with a 5 p.m. matchup at Florida Gulf Coast.
The Norse stand at 4-6 overall and 0-1 in A-Sun play after dropping their conference opener last Friday to No. 69 ranked North Florida by a 7-0 score.
Adrian Isache had a solid showing in singles play, dropping a 10-2 super tiebreaker to Julian Bradley at the No. 4 singles flight. In doubles play,
Jody Maginley and
Nick Lang were ahead against Alberto De Meo and Julian Bradley, 5-4, before their match was abandoned with the doubles point won.
A WORD ABOUT BETHUNE-COOKMAN: The Wildcats stand at 11-9 on the season, having seen a five-match winning streak snapped by Oral Roberts on Thursday by a 4-3 score. Walid Gtari leads the way for B-C with a 12-7 record, including wins in his last four singles matches, against the opposition's top competition. Gtari and Kevin Deligny team up in doubles play to post a 10-5 record as well.
A WORD ABOUT STETSON: The Hatters are 9-6 on the year and 1-1 in A-Sun play after splitting conference action on the road last weekend. Stetson dropped a 4-1 match to USC Upstate before rebounding to take a 4-2 decision at Kennesaw State. Stetson's strength comes from the middle of the lineup, where the Hatters are 9-3 in singles play at the No. 3 and No. 5 positions. Loic Blanco is the team's wins leader at 10-3 on the year, while eGraham Ball and Simon Julin each have seven singles wins. In doubles play, Nathan Debut and Chester Espie are 9-2 as a team, playing in the No. 2 flight, and are currently riding a five-match winning streak.
A WORD ABOUT FLORIDA GULF COAST: The Eagles are 11-5 on the year and 2-0 in A-Sun play after a perfect weekend against A-Sun competition, defeating Kennesaw State and USC Upstate. Two-time All Atlantic Sun first-team honoree Jordi Vives continues to lead the Eagles, standing at 14-2 in top-flight singles competition this year, while Andres Alfonzo is the Eagles' wins leader in singles play at 18-10. Lucas Vaz and Ricky Ventura are the Eagles most successful, and most regular, of their 21 different doubles pairings this year, standing at 13-5 on the year.
UP NEXT: NKU returns to the Joyce Yeager Tennis Complex for a three-match home stand. Action begins next Wednesday against Wright State at 1:30 p.m. NKU then enters conference play again on Thursday with an 11 a.m. first serve against Kennesaw State. The weekend concludes on Saturday with a 1:30 p.m. start against USC Upstate.
