Quick Facts on 2015 Men's Tennis Tournament
The 2015 Empire 8 Athletic Conference (E8) Men's Tennis Tournament is set to take place this weekend, with four teams battling for a chance to win the postseason conference championship and earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship. The playoffs begin Saturday, May 2 with two semifinal matches and the Championship will take place on Sunday, May 3.
TOURNAMENT WEBPAGE
Outdoor Site: Ithaca College, Wheeler Tennis Courts
Indoor Site: Ithaca College, Glazer Arena
Schedule Notes: Matches will be complete once one team has secured the necessary five team points required for the dual-match victory. If inclement weather forces the matches indoors, the second semifinal on Saturday will start 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first semifinal, but no earlier than 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals - Saturday, May 2
No. 1 Stevens Institute vs No. 4 Elmira College - 10 a.m.
No. 2 Ithaca College vs No. 3 St. John Fisher College - 1:30 p.m.
Finals - Sunday, May 3
Winner of Stevens/Nazareth vs Ithaca/St. John Fisher - 11 a.m.
Before the action begins, here are some quick facts you should know about the conference tournament. (
*Quick facts will be based on the current tournament format years 2008-2015).
The Empire 8 will employ a four team tournament format for the eighth straight year. Prior to the 2008 tournament, the E8 champion was based on an eight-team format.
Stevens and Ithaca have qualified for the tournament every year.
St. John Fisher is making their fourth straight tournament appearance.
2015 marks the first time Elmira has qualified for the E8 tournament.
The tournament has played out according to seeding five times (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014).
Stevens will serve as the No. 1 seed for fifth straight year.
The #1 seed is 7-0 in the semifinal game of the tournament. #2 seed (6-1), #3 seed (1-6), #4 seed (0-7).
The #1 seed has won the conference championship six times (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014).
The #2 seed has won the title once (2010).
The #3 and #4 has never won the conference title.
Ithaca and Stevens have played in the championship game every year since 2008. Ithaca has won once (2009) with the Ducks winning the other six years.