Box Score

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - The KSU Owls men's tennis team suffered it's third consecutive loss today at the hands of the five-time defending Atlantic Sun Conference champions, East Tennessee State University (11-8, 8-0 A-Sun).  With the win, the Bucs clinched at least a share of the regular season title.

The Owls (10-11, 1-6 A-Sun) struggled to handle the pace of the Bucs, and failed to win a set in the match.  The closest performance of the day came at No. 6 singles, where freshman Alexander Pena challenged ETSU's Jorge Varon, before falling 7-5, 6-4.  Pena had beaten Varon in the fall at the Steve Baras Invitational in Chattanooga in their only previous meeting for the Owls' first and only individual win against ETSU in school history.

"There isn't a lot to say when a team is just better than you are," indicated Head Coach #T.J. Greggs#.  "The loss yesterday (against USC Upstate) took the wind out of our sails a bit, because we knew we needed that one to stay alive in the playoff chase.  ETSU was simply too strong for us today, but we had four freshmen out there today.  They'll learn from this and know what it takes to be at the top."

With the loss, the Owls mathematically are eliminated from playoff contention.  They currently sit in a three way tie for 8th place with Mercer and Jacksonville, who were also eliminated today from the playoff hunt due to USC Upstate's win over Mercer.

The Owls will return home next weekend in the final matches of the Owls' first ever senior, Simon Janik.  On Friday, the Owls will face North Florida at 4:00 p.m., followed by a 10:00 a.m. match against Jacksonville on Saturday.