ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's tennis will look to pick up a pair of important Empire 8 Conference victories this weekend, as the Soaring Eagles take on Hartwick College and Nazareth College. After a 4:00 p.m. bout with the Hawks this afternoon, the Purple and Gold will host the Golden Flyers at the Murray Athletic Center on Sunday, April 9, at 12:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Elmira picked up its fifth win in the last six matches with a tight 5-4 road victory over Lycoming College on April 2. The Soaring Eagles traveled with only five players, forcing them to forfeit matches and third doubles and sixth singles. As a result, the Warriors of Lycoming began the match with a 2-0 lead without striking a single ball. However, that 2-0 lead did not stand for long, as the Elmira men dropped just four games en route to a pair of victories at first and second doubles. Singles wins by
Jordan Curtis '19 at No. 5 and
Patrick Tracey '18 No. 2 put the Purple and Gold out in front, 4-2. Both players tallied straight-set wins and combined to win 24-of-31 games played. Lycoming would claim singles victories at first and third, but
Stephen Gervase '20 grinded out an all-important three-set win at the No. 4 spot to solidify EC's fifth victory of the 2016-17 campaign.
DOUBLES KEY TO THE "W"
One thing has become very clear about collegiate tennis, and that is that if you have a strong doubles performance, wins will more than likely follow. In Elmira's five wins this season, EC has won at least two doubles matches en route to the victory. Each time the Soaring Eagles have won one or none, they are 0-4. Dating back to last season, the Elmira men are 13-1 when winning two-or-more doubles matches, but are a mere 1-9 when they win one or none. The last time EC won a match without earning two doubles points was in 2016, when the Soaring Eagles rallied from a 1-2 hole to defeat Alfred, 5-4.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
The Hawks enter the spring of 2017 coming off of a subpar two-win campaign a year ago. They've only taken to the courts twice so far this season, coming out on the wrong end of a 9-0 sweep against Houghton College in their opener on March 11 and falling, 7-2, to Oswego State on March 22. Hartwick received wins at first and second doubles against the Lakers, with junior John Talbot picking up a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 1 singles, and sophomore Krishna Patel grinding out a three-set triumph at the second position. Last season, Talbot won a team-leading four matches in singles play, going 4-6, mostly at the No. 2 spot. He did win his only showing at the top spot against Franklin College's Kyle Sauley in Hilton Head, South Carolina, by a perfect 6-0, 6-0 score. As a duo, Hartwick's top tandem of Talbot and Patel earned a pair of victories at No. 1 doubles in 2016.
SERIES HISTORY VS. HARTWICK
Although the Hawks boast a lead in the all-time series against Elmira, 24-6, the Soaring Eagles are riding a four-match win streak and have beaten Hartwick in five of the past six matches. Two of the last three wins have come in shutout fashion, including a 9-0 drubbing last season at the Murray Athletic Center.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLYERS
Prior to this afternoon's matchup against Elmira, the Golden Flyers will face Utica College in E8 action on Friday, April 7. Nazareth sports a 2-6 overall record heading into the weekend, which includes a 1-1 mark in league play, following a 6-3 home win against Alfred last time out. Lamar Hurt has held down the No. 1 singles position for the Golden Flyers this season and is 2-5 at the top spot, but owns an overall record of 3-7 during the 2016-17 season. Jameson Keppeler has emerged as a consistent source of wins for Nazareth during his rookie season, as the product of Christian Brothers Academy owns a team-high five wins with an even 5-5 singles record. Keppeler is 5-1 at the No. 5 position, but is 0-2 at No. 4 and 0-2 in tournament play. Ryley Amond and Louis Rogers is the team's most lethal doubles tandem, as the duo owns a 5-5 record, including a 4-1 mark at the No. 3 position.
SERIES HISTORY VS. NAZ
Nazareth has been nothing short of dominant in the all-time series against Elmira. The Golden Flyers own a 22-1 all-time series record and boast the most recent win, a 5-4 victory in Rochester, New York, last season. Elmira's lone victory in the series came in the 2015 installment of the E8 rivalry, when the Purple and Gold topped the Golden Flyers by a 6-3 final score to qualify for the Empire 8 Conference Tournament.
LOOKING AHEAD
Elmira will take a six-day break from competition with finals beginning next week. The Soaring Eagles return to courts on Saturday, April 15, when they travel to face the Pioneers of Utica College. The Empire 8 bout is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
