The Bisons are in DeLand, Fla., as the No. 6 seed in the 2011 Atlantic Sun Men’s Tennis Championships, where they were set to face No. 3 seed Campbell University in today’s first-round action.
The trip marks the first time in school history the Bisons (7-10 overall, 4-6 A-Sun) have earned a top-6 seed in the conference tournament. The Bisons are looking to post their first post-season victory.
The Bisons last saw their first-round opponent on April 2, when they fell to the Camels 6-1. Head coach Andrew Harris said the Bisons will need to start out strong in doubles to get out of the first round.
“Anytime you are in a conference championship like this, the doubles point is extremely critical,” Harris said. “Once the singles matches are completed, they stop all remaining matches.”
Harris said the Bisons also need to vamp up their singles play as well as their mindset.
“Honestly, we have not played at the level in singles the last few matches that we have become accustomed to seeing in the spring,” Harris said. “The guys understand that they don’t have to play unbelievably to win, but they understand they need to compete at a higher level to have success (today).
“These guys have been working hard all year long, and they will give themselves the best opportunity possible to be successful.”
Campbell finished the regular season 16-4 overall and 7-3 in the A-Sun. The Camels also boast the A-Sun’s player of the year, Senior Davy Sum, who unanimously won the title. Freshman Fernando Guillen also earned the honor of freshman of the year, while Dominik Kaniewski earned a spot on the All-Conference second team.
The winner of the Bisons’ and Camels matchup will move on to the semifinals to face No. 2 ETSU on Friday.
The action was set to begin at 3:30 this afternoon.