HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky's men's tennis faces its final nonconference opponent of the 2017 regular season, hosting cross-river foe Xavier on Tuesday, April 18. First serve against the Musketeers is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET from Yeager Tennis Complex on the NKU campus.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse dropped a tough match to Detroit Mercy in the lone contest of the week, falling 4-3 on April 16. NKU won the doubles point with wins from Court Clark/Mate Virag and Javier Araya/Andrew Niehaus, and saw additional wins in singles from Araya in the No. 3 spot and Clark in No. 4 singles. Four of the six singles matches went to a third set, with two apiece going to the Norse and the Titans. The match on the No. 1 court proved to be the deciding point, with UDM claiming a three-set win to clinch the dual.
 
SCOUTING XAVIER: The Musketeers hold a 6-12 overall record, and have a number of common opponents with the Norse this season. Xavier had a 4-3 win over Cleveland State, a 4-1 win over Dayton, a 5-2 loss to Youngstown State, a 6-1 loss to Valparaiso and a 4-3 loss to Eastern Kentucky, all of which are exactly the same scores and outcomes as when NKU played the respective teams with the exception of a 4-0 win over Dayton by the Norse. Matt Bishop tops the Musketeers' singles lineup after moving up from the No. 2 spot in mid-February, and also appears in the No. 1 doubles team with Gabriel Araujo. The tandem's most notable win of the year was on April 2, when the pair downed No. 51 Parker Wynn and Sean Donahue of No. 39 Louisville, 6-3. NKU faced Xavier last season on Feb. 26, where the Musketeers recorded a 4-2 clinch victory in Cincinnati.
 
For more information on NKU's men's and women's tennis program, follow the team on Twitter @NKUNorseTennis or at facebook.com/nkunorsetennis.