UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's tennis team will travel to Delhi, NY on Wednesday for its final non-conference match of the season against the SUNY Delhi Broncos at 3:30 p.m. The team will then conclude its regular season and Empire 8 Schedule when it hosts St. John Fisher on April 30 and Nazareth College on May 1. Both weekend matches will be at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out: The team fell to Alfred University 5-4 on the road on April 23.
Austin McGrain (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon ) and
Ethan Trembley (Schenectady, NY/La Salle Institute) started the match by taking first doubles 8-7 (7-4) which was followed by an 8-5 win in second doubles by
Bradley Litz (West Winfield, NY/Mt. Markham ) and
LJ Nuzzo (Peru, NY/Peru Central). Alfred won by forfeit in third doubles. McGrain went on to take second singles 6-1, 6-0 while Litz won fourth singles 6-0, 6-3. However, a win by forfeit in sixth singles for Alfred was the deciding factor in the Pioneers' loss.
Empire 8 Leaderboard: Houghton College (6-0 E8) and Nazareth (5-1 E8) have already clinched a postseason berth. Fisher (2-4 E8), Utica (1-5 E8) and Alfred University (1-5 E8) will look to secure one of the final two sports in the conference tournament as the top-four teams in the league will play for the Empire 8 crown. Between April 26 and May 1, each of the five teams will play its final two league matches.
Team Status: While each member of the Pioneers has at least one singles win, the core of
LJ Nuzzo (Peru, NY/Peru Central),
Damian Bruce (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville),
Austin McGrain (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon ) and
Bradley Litz (West Winfield, NY/Mt. Markham ) have combined for 20 of the team's 23 singles wins. Nuzzo leads the team with six singles wins followed by Bruce and McGrain with five and Litz with four.
Gaynay Doo (Utica, NY/Proctor ),
Ethan Trembley (Schenectady, NY/La Salle Institute) and
Joe Shirley (Sackets Harbor, NY/Sackets Harbor) have each recorded a win as well. In doubles, the McGrain/Trembley pair leads the team with five wins while Bruce/Nuzzo have won four times together.
About Delhi: The Broncos are currently 8-4 overall this season and 5-1 in the North Atlantic Conference. Since losing 6-3 to Utica on April 6, Delhi has gone 5-2 over its last seven matches. The team has also clinched a spot in the NAC Championship.
Scouting Fisher: The Cardinals will enter Saturday 4-9 overall and 2-4 in E8 play, good enough for third place. Jake Anthony has yet to lose in singles this season, owning a perfect 10-0 mark with eight wins in fifth singles and two in fourth singles. Jordan O'Connell is also 7-2 in singles. In doubles, the combination of Anthony and Sean Danahy are 8-0 this season. Utica fell to Fisher this season 6-3 on the road on April 2.
A Look at Nazareth: The Golden Flyers are currently 9-3 overall and 5-1 in the E8, good enough for second place. The team will battle first place Houghton on April 30 before traveling to Utica on May 1. In singles, the team is led by Nathan Allen and Isiah McMurray who are both 8-2. Allen and Will Britton have been a successful pair in doubles, owning an 8-3 mark when together. Utica fell to Nazareth this season 9-0 on the road on April 16.
Up Next: The Pioneers will look to secure a spot in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament which will be hosted by St. John Fisher from May 6-7.
