| Matchup |
Merrimack (17-9) vs.
Queens College (13-7) |
| Date//Time |
Saturday, May 11, 2019 // 1 p.m. |
| Venue |
Penmen Stadium Tennis Courts // Manchester, N.H. |
| Match Links |
Tournament Central // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Earning the No. 6 seed out of the East Region and extending its consecutive NCAA Tournament berths streak to a clean dozen, the Merrimack College men's tennis program begins play in the national tournament this Saturday when the Warriors face third-seeded Queens College at 1 p.m. The contest will be played at the Penmen Stadium Tennis Courts on the campus of Southern New Hampshire.
The victor of the match faces the host Penmen at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon back in Hooksett, N.H. The last team standing in the East Region II pod will advance to the Sweet 16 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
2019 NCAA DII East Region II Schedule (All Matches at Southern New Hampshire)
Saturday, May 11, 2019 (First Round)
Match 1: #6 Merrimack vs. #3 Queens (N.Y.), 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 12, 2019 (Second Round)
Match 2: Winner of Match 1 vs. #2 SNHU, 1 p.m.
Five Things to Know:
- The Warriors own a 5-11 record during NCAA Tournament play over the last 11 seasons, emerging from the opening round on five occasions. Merrimack will look to win its first opening-round contest since 2015, and put themselves in a position to reach its first Sweet 16 in school history. Merrimack's 12-year run of NCAA Tournament appearances is only bested by Queens' 18 straight East Regional berths. Despite the consistency, Merrimack and Queens will play each other in the postseason for the first time in program history on Saturday
- During the regular season, Merrimack won its first ever match against Queens, 5-2. The Warriors swept the doubles portion of the match easily, and saw junior Denis Davydov dominate at first singles. The team proceeded to win a trio of three-set matches in the singles realm with junior Alex Fedorov clinching the tilt at No. 3, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (4) and 6-2
- Queens won the East Coast Conference, dispatching Roberts Wesleyan in the semifinals (4-1) before a shutout win in the finals over Saint Thomas Aquinas. The Knights won the conference title for the third straight year. The victory enabled the Knights to secure the third position in East Region, as well
- Merrimack enters the tournament after making its third straight run to the NE10 Championship match, and nearly completed the upset of Southern New Hampshire. The Warriors in Hooksett after shutout victories over Stonehill and Bentley, and proceeded to take a 3-0 lead over the Penmen after Merrimack took the doubles point followed by straight-set victories for freshmen Alex Mackay Rodriguez and Andre Singer, respectively, at fifth and sixth singles. The Penmen rallied, however, winning the remaining four singles flights to take the title
- Merrimack was well-represented on the all-conference teams, as well, with Davydov, freshman Conrad Koch, freshman Jonathan Garcia, Fedorov, Mackay Rodriguez and freshman Marshall Wood. All six are part of Merrimack's doubles tandems, with each duo landing on the second team. Koch, Garcia, Fedorov and Mackay Rodriguez were all recognized as singles players, as well. Since the announcement, Fedorov increased his team lead in total wins to 40, establishing a new single-season program record
The Scouting Report:
Up Next
If Merrimack wins, the Warriors and Penmen will play for the third time in 17 days on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. back at the Penmen Stadium Tennis Courts in the second round of the Division II East Regional.
