April 24, 2013
Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Championship Tournament Central
2013 Atlantic 10 Championship Bracket (PDF)
MASON, Ohio - The Saint Joseph's men's tennis team received the eighth seed in this week's Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Championship and will face ninth-seeded Butler on Thursday afternoon and the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
The winner of the SJU-Butler match will face top-seeded VCU at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. The Hawks come into the matchup at 10-11 on the season, while the Bulldogs have posted a 9-12 mark.
The Hawks have relied on solid singles play up and down the lineup all season long, and a balanced all-around team effort will be necessary for SJU to be successful in the conference tournament.
Senior Alex Veronis and junior Jose Sierra have played the bulk of the matches in the top flight, with Veronis getting the call in six of seven conference matches. Sierra has posted a 6-2 record in the second flight, including a 4-1 mark against Atlantic 10 foes.
Sophomore Pierre Brondeau has posted an 8-4 record in the third flight this season, including a 4-1 mark in that flight in conference play; he has won six of his seven total singles matches against conference foes. Brondeau, senior captain Tommy Gates, and sophomore Max Montague have all played a number of matches in the fourth flight, with Gates and Montague posting three wins each. All of Gates' fourth-flight victories have come against Atlantic 10 opposition.
Montague has posted a 7-5 record in the fifth flight, including a 4-2 conference mark. Meanwhile, graduate student Jeff Kessler has put together the best singles season of his career, winning 12 matches in total, including nine in the fifth and sixth flights combined. Kessler and junior Dan Barrus have played a majority of the squad's sixth-flight tilts, combining for a 9-8 record.
On the doubles side, Montague and Sierra will most likely inhabit the top spot, where the pair has notched two conference victories to date. Barrus and Kessler should hold down the second flight, where they are 4-2 this season, while either Brondeau and Veronis or Gates and freshman Andres Urrea could be the choice in the third flight.
The top-seeded Rams of VCU await the winner of Thursday's match. Also receiving a bye was the number-two seed, defending champion George Washington.
Other matchups on Thursday include #3 Charlotte vs. #14 La Salle, #4 Xavier vs. #13 Dayton, #5 Duquesne vs. #12 St. Bonaventure, #6 Temple vs. #11 Saint Louis, and #7 Richmond vs. #10 Fordham.
The quarterfinals will be held on Friday, with the semifinals and championship matches on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
