Elmira College (9-8, 3-3 Empire 8) at Ithaca College (10-5, 6-1 Empire 8)
Saturday, April 30, 2016 | 12:00 p.m. | Wheeler Tennis Courts - Ithaca, NY

Elmira College (9-8, 3-3 Empire 8) vs. St. John Fisher College (7-8, 3-3 Empire 8)
Sunday, May 1, 2016 | 1:00 p.m. | Murray Athletic Center - Pine Valley, NY

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's tennis team concludes the 2016 regular season with a pair Empire 8 Conference matches this season against Ithaca College and St. John Fisher College. Elmira travels to face the Bombers on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m., before hosting Fisher in EC's regular season home finale at the MAC at 1:00 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira stayed in the playoff hunt last weekend with its second straight conference win, as the Soaring Eagles earned a 9-0 sweep against Hartwick College. The Soaring Eagles rolled in doubles play, winning 24-of-31 games played, before sweeping the singles matches in straight sets. Patrick Tracey '18 earned the match-deciding point in Sunday's win with a 6-0, 6-0 victory at the third spot.
 
Thank You Seniors
EC seniors Austin Mansell '16 and Satchal Waters '16 will play in the final home match of their collegiate careers Sunday afternoon. Since their arrival on campus, the duo has helped the EC men's tennis program reach new heights. Mansell and Waters paced Elmira to its top four win totals in program history, including the 2016 season which has seen the team win a record-setting nine matches. The duo has guided EC to 32 wins over the last four seasons, including the team's first Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearance since 2007 when the tournament format switched from eight to four teams.
 
Race for No. 1
With the end of the season on the horizon, several Soaring Eagles will be looking to solidify their spots in the EC record books. Mansell and Waters are in a tight battle for the top spot in career victories, with Waters leading the race by one win (65). Mansell is also in a deadlocked competition with Tracey for the most singles victories in single-season history, as both players sit on 12 wins on the year. The final race for a top spot in the record books is between classmates Yaniv Kogan '18 and Chris Konow '18 for the single-season doubles win record. Both players have accumulated 10 wins this season, which is tied for No. 1 already; however, the two sophomores have been paired up as EC's second doubles tandem, so the race will ultimately end in a tie.
 
Scouting the Bombers
Ithaca has already clinched the No. 2 seed at this season's Empire 8 Conference Tournament with a 10-5 overall record and a 6-1 mark in league matches. The Bombers are playing some of their best tennis of the year as of late with six consecutive victories, five occurring against E8 teams. Chris Hayes leads the Bombers with 13 singles victories on the year, which includes a 5-2 mark at the top singles position; he is also Ithaca's doubles wins leader with nine victories, seven coming at the No. 2 position.
 
Scouting the Cardinals
St. John Fisher College enters the weekend with a 7-8 overall record and a 3-3 mark in E8 play. The Cardinals are in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings with Nazareth College and Elmira; however, Fisher will have played against Alfred University on Saturday afternoon, which could improve their position in the standings. Kevin Kulawiec leads the Cardinals as the team's top singles and doubles player. Kulawiec has totaled 16 wins this season, splitting his victories evenly between singles and doubles. The second-year talent from Fairport, NY, will be looking to snap a mini two-match skid, after suffering back-to-back defeats to Stevens and RIT. Teaming up with Kulawiec at the top doubles spot has been freshman Quinn Magiera. The duo owns an impressive 8-5 record in dual matches this season, which includes a win in their most recent match against RIT, 8-6.
 
Regular Season Finale
Sunday's contest against St. John Fisher marks the end of the 2016 regular season for both teams. With the Empire 8 Conference Tournament field still hanging in the balance, both teams will be vying to clinch a postseason berth.