UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's tennis team is set to begin a two-game Empire 8 homestand against Medaille on Friday, April 14 at 3:30 p.m. and Houghton University on Saturday, April 15 at 2 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: The team picked up its second-straight victory after beating Alfred University 7-2 on Saturday afternoon. The victory was the team's first Empire 8 win of the season. Utica continued to play well in doubles as Damian Bruce (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) and Richard Nguyen (Utica, NY/Proctor) picked up a convincing 8-0 win. The duo of Bradley Litz (West Winfield, NY/Mt. Markham) and Hunter Sanford (Delhi, NY/Delaware Academy) also won 8-0 and it is their second-straight 8-0 win in doubles. Damian Bruce (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) and Bradley Litz (West Winfield, NY/Mt. Markham) were fantastic, both winning their singles sets 6-0 to continue their strong seasons. Nguyen won his sets 6-3 and 7-5 while Gaynay Doo (Utica, NY/Proctor) won his sets 6-4 and 6-3. Jack Paute (Utica, NY/Proctor) won a thriller taking the third set 10-8 and earning his second consecutive victory in singles.
 
Dominance: Damian Bruce (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) of the Utica University men's tennis team has been named Empire 8 Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday. Damian Bruce (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) had a fantastic 4-0 week battling the opposing team's aces going an incredible 40-3 in games over the course of the week and leading the team to two straight victories. Bruce went a perfect 4-0 overall in singles and doubles this week.
 
First Timers:  Logan Kraft (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), Richard Nguyen (Utica, NY/Proctor), and Jack Paute (Utica, NY/Proctor) earned their first wins in their Pioneer career against SUNY Delhi. Kraft and Paute dominated, winning 6-0 and 6-0 in his singles matches. Nguyen won his sets 6-1 and 6-3. The newcomers looked to keep their momentum going heading into the critical stretch of Empire 8 matches.
 
Getting Hot: The team is heating up at the right time as they head into the crucial stretch of the regular season. Utica is in the midst of a two-game winning streak after beating SUNY Delhi 9-0 on Wednesday, April 5 and topping Alfred University 7-2 on Saturday, April 8. The team's win over Alfred was its first Empire 8 victory of the season and Utica looks to keep its momentum rolling into this crucial stretch of Empire 8 play.
 
Scouting Medaille: The Mavericks are 2-3 this season after beating Alfred University 5-4 on Tuesday, April 11 5-4 which has them fourth in the conference. Rodrigo Fernandez and Celso Juberias led the way against Alfred winning their duos match. Ben Tubbs and Sean Graham had impressive wins in singles allowing just three games to each of their opponents in the two sets. The Mavericks look to keep their momentum rolling after its Empire 8 win.
 
Houghton Preview: The Highlanders are 8-6 this season and sport a perfect 5-0 record in conference play which has them first in the Empire 8. The team is red-hot coming off a 9-0 victory over Medaille in its last match and is on a five-game winning streak outscoring opponents 9-0, 8-1, 9-0, 8-1, and 9-0 during the streak. Houghton is led by Matt Cicero who sports a 7-4 overall record and Samuel Bonisteel sports a perfect 3-0 record. The duo of Levi Webb/Jaimie Staerkle are 9-2 in doubles and Micah Schilke/Marcelo Garcia sport a 9-3 doubles record. The Highlanders have dominated doubles as the entire team has a record of 29-13 in doubles play this season.
 
Up Next: The team will travel to St. John Fisher on Friday, April 21 at 4 p.m.