UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO ATHLETICS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo will play host to the top men’s tennis teams in the Mid-American Conference this weekend, as UB will be the home for the 2018 Mid-American Conference Championships, which begin Friday at the Miller Tennis Center.
Semifinal action gets underway at 10:00am on Friday as top-seeded and regular season champion Western Michigan will face the #4 seed Ball State. At 2pm, Buffalo, who is the number two seed in the tournament, will face #3 Northern Illinois.
The two winners will then meet on Saturday for the MAC Championship and the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The championship will begin at 1pm. If weather cooperates, the match will be played outdoors at Sweet Home High School, but otherwise it will be played indoors at the Miller Tennis Center.
Western Michigan went 20-4 during the regular season and a perfect 7-0 in MAC play as the Broncos claimed the 24th regular season title in program history. WMU is one of just 15 teams nationally to own 20 or more victories this season.
The Broncos lost in the MAC Championship match last season, 4-3, to the second-seeded and tournament host, Buffalo Bulls.
The Bulls are 12-9 on the season and 5-2 in league play with their only two losses in conference play coming to Western Michigan this year. Buffalo played a tough non-conference schedule that featured five Ivy League programs, as well as Big Ten foe, Penn State. Seniors Vidit Vaghela and Petr Vodak have spent time this season ranked nationally in doubles action.
UB will face #3 Northern Illinois in the MAC Semifinals on Friday for the second straight year. The Huskies are 15-7 this season and 5-2 in league play, but lost the tiebreaker to Buffalo due to UB’s 6-1 win in DeKalb just one week ago. The Huskies will be a tough competitor for UB as five of the six singles matches went into a third set during their regular season meeting.
The tournament is capped off with #4 Ball State, who will face Western Michigan in the first semifinal. The Cardinals are 14-10 and 3-4 in MAC play. Ball State won eight of their first nine matches this season and picked up league victories over Binghamton twice and Toledo.
All matches are free and open to the public. Miller Tennis Center is located at 5959 Sheridan Dr., Williamsville, NY 14221, while Sweet Home High School is located at 1901 Sweet Home Rd., Buffalo, NY 14228.
For those unable to attend, live updates can be found by following @UBmenstennis on Twitter and at getsomemaction.com.
