MEDFORD, Mass. – The TCNJ men's tennis team returned to the Big Dance with a bang, cruising to a 4-0 sweep of St. John Fisher in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
The victory, the Lions' first in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, sets up a second-round showdown with No. 17 Trinity (Texas) on Saturday.
Making their first NCAA appearance since 2019, the WIAC champion Lions (16-5) delivered a decisive rout of the Cardinals (12-4), NCAA debutants after their first-ever Empire 8 championship. The Lions' made sure their stay was short.
Doubles was a straightforward affair, with
Harrison Maitland-Carter and
Asa Wong quickly nabbing a 6-1 win in the top flight.
Alberto Thomas and
Nathan Chan, meanwhile, produced a 6-2 win at number two to polish off the point with
Sidd Arudi and
Faris Shehata on the cusp at 5-2 on the third court.
Maitland-Carter was a runaway 6-0, 6-1 winner at number two singles.
Brett Schuster came up big with a 6-3, 6-0 win at number six, and Shehata clinched the Lions' advancement to the second round with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph at number four.
Aidan Twamley was on the verge of victory with a 6-3, 5-1 lead at number five, while Thomas and Chan had claimed the first set at first and third singles, respectively.
NOTES
- Friday's match was the first all-time meeting between the programs
- TCNJ notched its first NCAA victory since a 5-0 sweep of Cabrini on May 11, 2017
- Thomas moved into a tie with assistant coach Mike Klimchak for third on the program's all-time doubles wins list (69)
- Thomas' doubles win was the 119th overall win of his career, placing him eighth all-time
- Schuster is now 17th in singles wins (49), and his 98 combined wins are good for a tie for 22nd in program history
UP NEXT
- The Lions will take on the Tigers of Trinity, NCAA Tournament mainstays and one of only nine programs to earn an at-large berth
