HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky's men's and women's tennis will be taking a three-day trip down to the Sunshine State to compete in a trio of matches on March 9- 11. Both teams will first be taking on Quinnipiac and Fairfield, followed by a men's matchup against Creighton, while the women face off against Belmont.
 
The NKU men bounced back from a 6-1 loss to Dayton with a 6-1 win of their own over Bellarmine on Feb. 29. The team of Nathan Schwartz and Emilien Burnel, continued to lead the Norse in the top flight of doubles, earning their fourth win against the Knights' Evan Bottorff and Paul Reynolds. The Norse also brought in wins in singles courts 1-5.
 
The Norse women are looking to add another win to their slate after dropping a match, 6-1, to Ball State. Margita Sunjic posted the only point for NKU in the match with a win on singles court No. 1. Sunjic leads the Norse with her streak of four wins dating back to their match against Dayton on Jan. 18.
 
The Quinnipiac men's team has had a slow start to the season, sporting an 0-6 record. Three of its matches, coming against Saint Joseph's, UC Riverside, and Fordham were dropped by just one point. Alester Magalit came off of his freshman season being named the MAAC Rookie of the Year and has already accumulated two MAAC Player of the Week awards on his sophomore campaign.
 
On the women's side of it, the Cougars hold a 2-7 record. Their two wins came against Saint Joseph's and Wagner, 7-0 and 4-0, respectively. Multiple Cougars hold 4-5 singles records, including Layla Rodriguez, Kamilla Nella, and Jordan Bradley. Bradley and Andie Williams have both picked up accolades on the season, earning MAAC Player of the Week after their wins against the Hawks and Sea Hawks.
 
The Fairfield men hold a 5-3 overall record, most recently falling to West Point in a 4-1 decision. The Stags, like the Cougars, also faced off against Fordham and Brown, losing 5-2 and 6-1, respectively. Lewis Edwards has accumulated six wins in a combination of play in both No. 3 and 4 singles. Kaya Gore holds a 4-2 record atop the lineup, and Tyler Shibles has also moved up to the top flight in one match, but primarily plays in the No. 2 spot.
 
Fairfield's women will be on the hunt for their second win of the season, holding just a 1-5 record thus far. The Stags' lone win came against Providence last month, with a 4-3 decision. Most recently, Fairfield lost 6-1 to Bryant. The Stags' point came from a pair of doubles wins on courts 2 and 3 to begin the match.
 
Creighton's men are 3-5 and are looking to improve with four matches in Orlando. Before taking on the Norse, Creighton will be facing off against Xavier and Georgetown. Most recently, the Bluejays lost 5-2 at Marquette after two back-to-back 7-0 wins against Kansas City and Horizon League foe, Green Bay. Nick Campbell sits at the top of the lineup, holding a 6-2 record in the top flight. The doubles team of Stratton Brown and Joe Hoff, playing in both the second and third slot, has also accumulated a 6-2 record this season.
 
The Belmont women have a winning record, going 4-3 this season, recently losing 6-1 at Lipscomb. The Bruins returned eight players from last year's squad, and added junior transfer Somer Henry to the roster. Henry has proven to be a strong performer, leading the team in the No. 1 spot with five wins and just two setbacks. Northern Kentucky posted a 6-1 victory over Western Kentucky, to which Belmont also defeated with a 4-0 outcome.
 
For more information on NKU men's and women's tennis program, follow the team on Twitter @NKUNorseTennis, Instagram @nkutennis or at facebook.com/nkunorsetennis.