Men's Tennis Sends Six to Villanova Invitational

Setting the Scene
What: Villanova Invitational
Teams: Bucknell, Villanova, Colgate, Lehigh, Lafayette and Saint Joseph's
Dates: Friday, Sept. 9 to Sunday, Sept. 11
Where: Villanova Tennis Complex, Villanova, Pa.

Tournament Details
Format: The Villanova Invitational features a unique format, with two draws each consisting of a 16-team bracket. Each entry consists of three total matches, starting with a doubles match between the two teams, followed by each player playing a singles match against one of the other players. The team that wins at least two of the matches advances in the bracket.

Bucknell Men at a Glance

The Bison made their debut under first-year head coach Jason Cohen at the Bucknell Invitational last weekend.
Two freshmen highlighted Bucknell's singles play last week. Brendan McDonald won four straight matches in straight sets to claim the B Singles title, and Amar Tahirovic lost a three-setter in the A Singles final.
McDonald was a two-time winner, as he also teamed with Nick Mueller to claim the A Doubles title.
McDonald and Tahirovic are back in action this weekend at Villanova, along with Mueller, Michael Owen, Tim Zelikovsky, and Gui Padilha.
Cohen has paired a freshman with a veteran in each of his two-man teams. Tahirovic/Zelkovsky and Mueller/McDonald are Bucknell's entries in the Blue Draw, with Owen/Padilha in the White Draw.
Seven players have returned from last year's squad, including All-Patriot League honoree Harrison Gold, who is currently out with an injury. In his first year at Bucknell after transferring from UNC Wilmington, Gold played No. 1 singles and doubles last spring. He went 5-0 in doubles and 5-1 in singles against Patriot League competition.
Zelikovsky led the team with a 22-7 overall singles record last season. He went 16-4 in dual matches, including 15 straight wins to close the campaign.
Bucknell welcomed five freshmen who comprise a highly acclaimed recruiting class. The group was ranked 27th among all Division I programs and sixth among Mid-Major programs by tennisrecruiting.net.

A Look Ahead

Following this weekend, Bucknell will also feature in tournaments at Binghamton and Richmond, and the Bison will be looking to qualify for berths in the ITA Regionals in Charlottesville, Va., starting on Oct. 19.
Next up is the Binghamton Invitational Sept. 23-25.