Men's Tennis: KIAC tournament preview
The Indiana University East men's tennis program plays host to the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament this weekend.
Matches will be April 29 and 30 at the Earlham College south courts.
The five-team event begins at 9 a.m. on April 29. Semifinal matches are at noon and 2:30 p.m. on April 29. The championship match is set for 10 a.m. on April 30.
IU East is hosting the KIAC men's tennis tournament for the first time since 2012.
The tournament champion and runner-up will advance to an "Independents Championship" tournament May 6 and 7 at Georgia Gwinnett College, where an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship will be at stake.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, April 29
Quarterfinals
9 a.m. - No. 4 Brescia University (1-6, 1-3) vs. No. 5 Alice Lloyd College (0-4, 0-4)
Semifinals
Noon - No. 2 Indiana University Southeast (13-11, 3-1) vs. No. 3 Indiana University East (7-12, 2-2)
2:30 p.m. - No. 1 Asbury University (9-3, 4-0) vs. Brescia or Alice Lloyd
Saturday, April 30
Championship
10 a.m. - Semifinal winners
LAST TIME OUT
IU East concluded the regular season with an 8-1 win against Brescia University on April 24.
IU East has reached the KIAC tournament semifinals in three of the past four years, including last year.
IU East fell at IU Southeast on April 13 in the regular season meeting between the teams. The Grenadiers lead the all-time series 7-1.
IU EAST STORYLINES
* IU East won its last two matches to conclude the regular season.
* The Red Wolves matched their best KIAC regular season finish (third place) in program history.
* The Red Wolves are 3-5 all-time in KIAC tournament matches, with a 3-2 record in the quarterfinal round and an 0-3 record in the semifinals.
* IU East senior No. 1 singles player Connor Kramer (Shirley, Ind./Eastern Hancock High School) is the reigning KIAC Player of the Week.
* Connor Kramer, fellow senior Ethan Taulbee (Camden, Ohio/Preble Shawnee High School), sophomore Seth Gard (Richmond, Ind./Northeastern High School) and freshmen Keaton Akers (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute North Vigo High School) and Alex Shelley (Avon, Ind./Avon High School) have a team-best three spring wins for the Red Wolves.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
No. 1 seed Asbury University (9-3, 4-0) has won eight of nine possible KIAC regular season and tournament titles since 2012, including the KIAC tournament title last year and the conference regular season championship this year. The Eagles are ranked 25th in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
No. 2 seed Indiana University Southeast (13-11, 3-1) won the KIAC tournament in 2014 and was the runner-up last season. Grenadiers No. 1 Nick Roby was unbeaten in KIAC singles matches this season.
No. 4 seed Brescia University (1-6, 1-3) has played with a shorthanded roster for most of the spring season. The Bearcats are under the direction of first-year coach Steven Reyes.
No. 5 seed Alice Lloyd College (0-4, 0-4) seeks its first win since adding varsity tennis for the 2012-13 school year.
WEATHER WATCH
The Weather.com forecast for Richmond for April 29 and 30 calls for high temperatures in the high 60s. There is a chance of afternoon rains on April 30.
In the event of rain, matches will be moved indoors to Dayton Center Courts.
DIRECTIONS TO EARLHAM SOUTH COURTS
The GPS address for Earlham College leaves you a couple of miles away from the "south six" courts. From the Earlham campus, take College Avenue south to Southwest G Street. Turn east on Southwest G Street. You will be turning AWAY from the Earlham campus at this point. Take Southwest G Street one block to Southwest 5th Street. Turn south on Southwest 5th Street. Take Southwest 5th Street to Earlham Drive. Turn west (right) onto Earlham Drive. The courts will be on the right. Parking is available in the baseball stadium parking lot just past the courts.
FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENT
The GPS address for Earlham College is 801 National Road West in Richmond.
The GPS address for Dayton Center Courts is 4801 Salem Avenue in Dayton, about 45 minutes from Earlham.
Live scoring for all matches will be available.
Monitor iueredwolves.com for tournament updates.
TOURNAMENT BRACKET
