By Chris Spiker
Staff Writer
The 15-seed women (3-17, 1-6) lost 4-0 to two-seed Xavier in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championship tournament last Thursday. The 12-seed men (5-13, 1-4) challenged five-seed Duquesne Thursday at 9 a.m.
The men played the Dukes (11-6, 4-1) Thursday in Mason, Ohio. The match results were not available at press time. The winner of the match will play the winner of fourth-seed Xavier and 13th-seed Dayton Friday at 10 a.m. VCU earned the No. 1 overall seed in its first A-10 season.
Head Coach Michael Bates said the team prepared all year to perform at its best at the A-10 championships.
“This is what we work for all year, so this is the ultimate thing we want to get to,” Bates said.
The Dukes defeated the Bonnies 5-2 on Feb. 22 at the SBU Fitness Center in Olean. The Bonnies dropped their last five matches to the Dukes dating back to 2009-10. Sophomore Alex Aleman leads the Dukes in singles at 15-4 and senior Ben Klaas and sophomore Rich Robbie lead the Dukes in doubles at 10-5.
Seniors Oscar Yanez and Luis Guevara will play their final matches for Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 Championships. Bates said he thinks his seniors will perform well in their final tournament for the Bonnies.
“They want to get a couple good rounds in,” Bates said. “We’re well-rested and got a lot of match play.”
The Musketeers swept the Bonnies, dropping only one set in all nine matches. Xavier advanced to the A-10 championship, defeating seven-seed Fordham 4-3 and four-seed Richmond 4-0. However, the Musketeers fell to one-seed VCU 4-0 in the championship match. Bates said Xavier’s depth impressed him in last Thursday’s match and in their April 13 match.
“They’re a very good team and that’s why they made it to the finals,” Bates said.
Sophomore Marisa Brossard won the only set for the Bonnies last Thursday, leading 6-2, 3-1 in second doubles before Xavier clinched the match with three singles victories. When Xavier cemented the victory, senior Kathryn Kvas tied her third singles opponent 2-2 in the second set after losing in the first set 6-0. In the A-10 championship, matches end after a team earns four match points, even if all six singles matches are not completed.
“We came out flat in doubles and that got us in a little bit of a hole,” Bates said.
The Xavier match marked the end of the Bonaventure tennis careers of seniors Riley Archer and Kvas. Bates said his seniors played well in their final matches despite losing.
“I’m sure they wanted to do better,” Bates said. “It’s tough with some top teams in our conference and the depth has gotten a lot better. They can’t be too disappointed.”
Brossard ended the season as the top singles performer for the Bonnies at 14-13. Brossard and classmate Fatya Amiri led the Bonnies in first doubles this season at 6-14. Bates said this season gave the women plenty of experience.
“Everyone got to play quite a bit this year,” Bates said. “That’s going to help them down the road.”
