Men's Tennis | 5/4/2024 5:50:00 PM
HOUGHTON, NY -- The top-seeded Houghton University men's tennis team (9-4) defeated No. 2 seed Nazareth University (5-12), 5-1, on Saturday to claim its second-straight Empire 8 Tournament Championship and its third in the past four years.
The Highlanders, seeded No. 1 and hosting the tournament, now advance to the first round of the NCAA National Tournament with the victory. Opponent, date and location will be announced on the NCAA selection show on Monday at 12:30 p.m..
Senior Levi Webb was named the 2024 Empire 8 Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Once again, Houghton doubles got the Highlanders off to a great start as the team went 2-1 in the pairings. A decisive 8-3 victory for Levi Webb and Nolan Zach at first doubles and a gutsy, tough 8-6 win by Tobias Webb and Jason Murphy at third doubles put the Highlanders within three wins of the overall match victory.
Levi Webb (6-2, 6-3 at second singles) and Preston Tobolski (6-0, 6-1 at sixth singles) were the first matches to finish, then Nolan Zach closed out the match with a 6-0, 7-5 win in second singles.
"This was our best team performance of the year. Tobias and Jason at third doubles yet again pulled out a tight match," said Head Coach Matthew Webb. "Then our singles play today was the best of the season. The team really came together today. We knew that beating Naz for a third time this year would not be easy, but the guys showed up for their best performance of the year. We are excited to head to nationals again."
The 2024 NCAA DIII men's tennis championship begins with a team selection show on Monday, May 6 at 12:30 p.m. ET streamed live on NCAA.com followed by early round action at regional sites May 10-12. Team winners from opening weekend will advance to the final championship location in St. Louis, Mo., May 20-24. The individual (singles and doubles) selections will be announced in a press release on NCAA.com on Wednesday, May 8.
The individual championship directly follows team competition and consists of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams competing from Sunday, May 26 through Tuesday, May 28. The selection of teams and individuals for the championships is based on won-lost record, strength of schedule and eligibility and availability of student-athletes.
Learn more about the selections and tournament bracket.
2024 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Schedule
Friday, May 3 – Semifinals (at Houghton University – Indoor or Outdoor)
#1 Houghton University defeated #4 Alfred University, 5-0 – BOX SCORE
#2 Nazareth University defeated #3 St. John Fisher University, 5-2 – BOX SCORE
Saturday, May 4 – Championship (at Houghton University – Indoor or Outdoor)
#1 Houghton University defeated #2 Nazareth University, 5-1 – BOX SCORE
2024 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Tournament Championship Most Valuable Player
Levi Webb, Sr., Houghton
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.
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