ALFRED, N.Y. – The Alfred University men's tennis team is set for a rematch with Utica College as both teams brace for the first round of the Empire 8 Tournament Wednesday afternoon.
The Saxons, seeded fourth in the tournament, will host fifth-seeded Utica on Wednesday, beginning at 4 p.m. The match, held at the Kerr-Pegula Athletics Center on the campus of Houghton College, will not have fans of either team allowed for the tournament match. Live video will be available for this match.
Courts one and two:
https://bit.ly/3gW7Ny2
Courts three and four: https://bit.ly/3h2PAyW
Alfred (3-8, 2-6 Empire 8) earned a playoff berth for the second consecutive season and are looking to win a postseason match for the first time since 2005. The Saxons are 1-4 all-time in the Empire 8 Tournament and will face Utica for the first time in postseason action.
Alfred's match against Utica is the second time these teams will play in just 96 hours, as the Saxons defeated the Pioneers in the regular season finale by an 8-1 score this past Saturday, completing the season sweep. AU also defeated Utica by a 9-0 score back on April 18.
Tournament matches are typically won near the bottom of the order and the Saxons have a player on an absolute tear in sophomore
Wes Dennison (Almond, N.Y./Alfred-Almond). Dennison began the season 1-5 in singles action but has been on a run, winning six straight matches playing at fifth and sixth singles for an 7-4 overall record, which leads the team. Up in the lineup, first year
Isaac Little (Alfred, N.Y./Alfred-Almond) has been solid playing at second singles, with a 3-4 record on conference matches.
They are buoyed by a pair of veteran singles players in seniors
Ryan Brown (Olean, N.Y./Olean) and
Logan Cross (Olean, N.Y./Olean). Brown is the top singles player for the Saxons, with a 3-4 record at the first singles this season. Cross has won his last two matches, defeating Utica's Maki Medici and St. John Fisher's Cameron Campbell in marathon matches.
In doubles, the team of Brown and Little has led the team at the top spot, sporting a 4-2 record this season. At No. 2, the team of Cross and senior
Adam Shearer (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) come into the postseason with a 3-2 record, winning matches against Utica, Oswego, and Nazareth. Leading the team in doubles victories is the duo of Dennison and first year
Sam Cohen (Brighton, N.Y./Brighton), sporting a 5-5 record with victories against Houghton, St. John Fisher, and Nazareth.
Utica (1-8, 0-8 Empire 8) is making its first tournament appearance since 2007 and is looking for its first E8 Tournament win (0-5). In singles, Austin McGrain and Maki Medici each lead the team with two wins a piece, with McGrain winning his last two matches. In doubles, the top duo of McGrain and LJ Nuzzo have won a team-leading three matches.
