Sparkill, N.Y. – The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Tennis team will make its sixth straight appearance in East Coast Conference Championship Tournament. Eighth-year Head Coach Matt Capell and his second-seeded Spartans are set to take on third-seeded, University of the District of Columbia in a semifinal match on Friday.
When and Where: Friday, April 29 at 2pm from the Queens College Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. Fans not able to view the tournament in person, can watch LIVE on the ECC Network.
Postseason History: St. Thomas Aquinas has had recent success in the ECC tournament, having reached the finals in each of the last two seasons. However, STAC is still in search of the program's first-ever ECC crown.
Season Series: During the 2022 Regular Season, the Spartans defeated the Firebirds twice by the scores of 5-0 (April 1 at UDC) and 6-1 (April 23 at STAC).
Regional & National Rankings: St. Thomas Aquinas currently holds the #6 position in this week's NCAA Division II East Region Poll, along with the #55 spot in the latest ITA Division II National Poll.
Leading the Way: STAC earned the second-seed in the tournament after finishing the regular-season with a 15-7 overall record and a 4-2 ECC mark. The Spartans will lean on the leadership of East Coast Conference Players of the Week Eduard Simo (16-4 Doubles & 14-6 Singles), Odysseas Papaioannou (three-time) (11-7 Doubles & 14-3 Singles) and Maximilian Kendler (10-7 Doubles & 9-11 Singles), along with six-time Rookie of the Week selection, Ludovico Truffelli (19-6 Doubles & 15-6 Singles). Rounding out the roster are Valentin Baranyi (10-5 Doubles & 7-3 Singles), Tony Khamassi (7-5 Doubles & 2-1 Singles), Ivan Laiz (7-7 Doubles & 17-5 Singles), Lennart Lehmann (8-5 Doubles & 17-6 Singles), Sam Rekasch (No Records) and Julius Upel (7-6 Doubles & 8-2 Singles).
And Then There Were Four: The first semifinal matchup of the 2021 East Coast Conference Women's Tennis Championship Tournament on Friday features No. 4 Daemen University Wildcats taking on the top-seed and hosts Queens College Knights at 11am. The winners of Friday's semifinals will square off in the East Coast Conference finals Saturday (April 30) hosted by Queens College. The winner of the tournament will earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Championship.