UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's tennis team returns to Empire 8 play on Saturday as the team travels to Houghton College for a 2 p.m. match.
Last Time Out: The team defended its home court on Wednesday evening with a 6-3 win over SUNY Delhi.
Damian Bruce (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) and
LJ Nuzzo (Peru, NY/Peru Central) stayed perfect as a doubles pair with an 8-3 win while
Austin McGrain (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon ) and
Ethan Trembley (Schenectady, NY/La Salle Institute) secured doubles two, 8-5. Bruce moved to 4-0 in first singles after winning 7-6, 6-3. Nuzzo followed with a 6-1, 6-1 win in second singles and McGrain took singles three 6-0, 6-1 to secure the team's win.
Bradley Litz (West Winfield, NY/Mt. Markham ) finished the evening with a win in sixth singles 6-1, 6-1.
Humble Beginning: At 3-1, the Pioneers have matched the program's best start through four matches since the 2012-13 season; also marking the best start on record in program history. With one more win the team will match its win total from the past two seasons combined (excluding 2020).
The Perfect Pair: Damian Bruce (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) and
LJ Nuzzo (Peru, NY/Peru Central) couldn't have asked for a better start to their 2022 campaigns. As a doubles pair, Bruce and Nuzzo are 4-0 overall in first doubles and 2-0 in the Empire 8. Bruce also sits at 4-0 in first singles while Nuzzo is 4-0 in second doubles.
Collective Effort: Each member of the Pioneers has earned a win in singles play as well as been a part of multiple doubles victories. While Bruce and Nuzzo lead the team with four wins in singles, McGrain (3-1) and Litz (2-1) have also captured multiple wins so far. Trembley,
Joe Shirley (Sackets Harbor, NY/Sackets Harbor) and
Gaynay Doo (Utica, NY/Proctor ) have one win each in singles to bring Utica's total record in singles to 16-7. Aside from Bruce and Nuzzo in doubles, McGrain and Trembley are 3-1 as a pair while Doo and Litz are 2-2.
About Houghton: The Highlanders are 4-10 overall this season and 1-0 in the Empire 8 thus far. The team will take on St. John Fisher on Friday evening prior to hosting Utica. Four members of the team have four wins in singles play while the team has an overall mark of 24-41. In doubles, Houghton is 10-23 with Nolan Zach and Matthew Cicero being a part of five doubles wins each this season including a 2-1 record when paired together.
Up Next: Utica will return home on April 13 to face Oswego State at 3:30 p.m.
