April 22, 2009

2009 Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Championship Bracket

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's men's tennis team has been seeded eighth in the 12-team field for the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championship, to be held this weekend at Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Pa. The Hawks will begin play Friday morning with a match against the #9 seed, Dayton.

The winner of the match will face top seed and 2008 runner-up George Washington on Friday afternoon. The loser will fall into the consolation bracket and compete for ninth place honors.

Last season, the Hawks lost to Saint Louis and defeated La Salle to tie for ninth place. Coincidentally, SJU tied Dayton, this year's first round opponent.

Senior Pat Adams leads the Hawks in singles play this season with a 12-8 record in the top flight. Partnering predominantly with junior Matt Prusack, he has amassed a 6-11 record in doubles. At last year's Championships he won both of his doubles contests while neither of his singles matches were played to completion.

In the second flight will most likely be senior Phil Bayliss. He has struggled this season in returning from injury but has seen some success in doubles, teaming with Michael Stauble for seven wins. Stauble should hold down the number-three singles position as well as partnering with Bayliss at number-one doubles.

Freshmen Peter Cognetti and Jeff Kessler have been a revelation this season, holding down the number-two doubles position and turning in a record of 7-3 together during the spring. Kessler will also be called on in the fourth singles flight, where he is 12-12 this season.

The Championship will be held Friday the 24th through Sunday the 26th. The SJU-Dayton matchup is one of the opening matches and is slated for 8:00 a.m. at the Club 4 Life. Xavier is the defending champion.