The Eastern Kentucky University men’s tennis team (20-9, 5-4 ASUN) will play in the quarterfinals of the UTR Sports NIT Championship against No. 2 Pacific (17-5, 5-3 WCC) on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at the IMG Academy Tennis Courts. EKU is playing in the NIT for the first time in program history, facing its eighth ranked matchup of the season.
Fans can watch the match on Amazon Prime Video.
THE COLONELS
EKU heads into the match with a 20-9 record, falling to Stetson in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship by a score of 4-0 on April 19. The Colonels beat No. 68 Stetson by a score of 5-2 on April 5, marking the first win against a ranked opponent in program history. The Maroon and White finished the 2024 home slate with a 16-0 mark, which is the best in the nation. The Maroon and White secured victories against Austin Peay, Bellarmine, Queens, No. 68 Stetson, and FGCU in ASUN Conference play. EKU enjoyed a 12-game winning streak from Jan. 31 to March 2, tying the program’s longest winning streak. The Colonels were ranked as high as No. 74 in the ITA Team Rankings, marking the first time in program history that the team was ranked.
The Maroon and White are led by Evzen Holis, who boasts a 16-10 record in singles play this season. The Brno, Czech Republic native was selected to the First Team All-ASUN and has been named ASUN Men’s Tennis Player of the Week three times this season.
Moritz Mayer has a 16-11 mark in singles play this season. He beat Georgia’s Miguel Perez Pena in singles play on Jan. 22, who was the No. 43 singles player in the country, marking the highest-ranked singles win in program history. The Eutingen, Germany product won the ASUN Men’s Tennis Player of the Week twice.
Paul-Antoine Brazet and Fernando Bulnes also boast 15 and 14 singles wins, respectively. Bulnes is riding a five-match winning streak in singles play. EKU holds a 93-75 record in singles play as a team this season.
Mario Monclus Martin and Mayer form the leading doubles pair, with a 12-7 record from the top two spots in the lineup. Mayer leads the team with 14 doubles wins. The Colonels have secured the doubles point in 16 out of their last 24 matches, boasting a 39-26 record in doubles this season.
SCOUTING PACIFIC
Pacific enters the contest with a 17-5 mark, falling to Pepperdine by a score of 4-0 in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament. The Tigers are ranked No. 60 in the latest ITA Team Rankings, highlighted by two ranked victories over No. 69 UTSA on March 15 and No. 13 San Diego on April 7. Pacific is led by Peter Alam in singles play, boasting a 12-3 record from the top three spots in the lineup. Tiago Silva leads the Tigers with 11 doubles wins. Sunday’s matchup marks the first meeting in the all-time series between Pacific and EKU.
