Men's Tennis Hosts Lehigh in Regular-Season Finale Saturday

Saturday, April 23

South Williamsport, Pa.

2 p.m.

Bucknell University

Lehigh

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Men's Tennis Hosts Lehigh in Regular-Season Finale Saturday

4/21/2022 6:15:00 PM | Men's Tennis

** 4/23 Update (9:30 a.m.) -- Due to the threat of rain, the match is moving indoors to the Central PA Tennis Center in South Williamsport. Start time still 2 p.m.

Lehigh (11-6, 6-1 PL) at Bucknell (9-15, 4-2 PL)
When: Saturday, April 23, 2 p.m.
Where: Varsity Tennis Courts, Lewisburg, Pa.

Bucknell at a Glance

Bucknell plays its last regular-season match of the season on Saturday against Patriot League rival Lehigh. It's the final contest before the Patriot League Tournament, which gets underway next Thursday in Annapolis, Md.
With wet and chilly spring weather chasing the teams indoors earlier in the season, this will be Bucknell's first home dual match outside at the Varsity Tennis Courts. The Bison's last outdoor home event was the Bucknell Invitational the first weekend in September.
The Bison have won five of their last five matches, including Patriot League victories over Colgate, Boston University, Loyola, and Lafayette. Those five wins have come by a combined 27-5, with the only loss in that span a 6-1 setback at Navy on Apr. 9.
At 4-2 in Patriot League play, the Bison are in fourth place out of nine teams, trailing only Navy (7-0), Army (6-1), and Lehigh (6-1).
The Bison swept Lafayette 7-0 in their most recent competition in Easton last Saturday. Bucknell swept the three doubles matches to take the point, then captured all six singles matches in straight sets. Bucknell never ceded more than three games in any set, en route to its 24th straight dual win over the Leopards.
Tim Zelikovsky puts his 13-match singles winning streak on the line on Saturday. After his 6-2, 6-2 win at Lafayette, Zelikovsky is 14-4 in dual matches, including a 10-1 mark at No. 4 singles and a 5-0 record against Patriot League opponents. His 20-7 overall record, including the fall tournament slate, is also the best on the squad.
Harrison Gold has made an impact in his first season with the Bison, playing both No. 1 singles and doubles. He has won four of his five Patriot League matches in singles, and this spring he is 13-4 at first doubles, teaming with Zelikovsky (5-3), Charlie Nordahl (4-1), and Nick Mueller (4-0).
Michael Owen's 12 dual-match victories are second-most on the team behind Zelikovsky. Mueller and Gold are next with eight each.

Lehigh at a Glance

The Mountain Hawks come in red hot with four straight wins, including an impressive 4-0 blanking of Army last Friday. Lehigh also defeated Boston University by a 4-0 margin last Sunday.
Senior Zack Elliott, a two-time All-Patriot League selection, is Lehigh's top player. He is 12-4 at No. 1 singles, including a perfect 6-0 mark in Patriot League play. Gary Fishkin (12-4), Matt Kleiman (11-4), and Jordan Paul (10-3) are also double-digit winners.
Bucknell and Lehigh have played some highly competitive matches through the years, with Lehigh winning the last three. The Mountain Hawks won 4-3 in Lewisburg last spring. The Bison claimed the doubles point and got singles wins from Tim Zelikovsky and Sam Yildirmlar, but Lehigh prevailed in three-setters at 1 and 2 singles to pull out the win.
These two Pennsylvania rivals first met in 1921, and Lehigh has a narrow 44-41 lead in the all-time series. Seven of the last 12 matches have been decided by 4-3 margins.

Next Up

Patriot League Tournament seeds will be announced early next week. All nine teams participate in the event, with the eighth and ninth seeds squaring off in the opening round on Thursday, Apr. 28.