BOSTON – Entering the Patriot League tournament as the top seed for the first time in program history, the Boston University men’s tennis team will face off against No. 8 Holy Cross in the quarterfinals Friday morning with Army West Point serving as host.

Doubles action will get underway at the Malek Tennis Center with an 8:30 a.m. start time. If the weather conditions are not optimal, play will move indoors to the Lichtenberg Tennis Center on campus.

The Terriers joined the PL in the summer of the 2013 and reached their first PL championship final last spring, coming up short to No. 1 Navy. The contest marked BU’s first conference final since finishing runner-up in the America East in 1999. 

This year, BU (18-7) went unbeaten in the conference at 6-0, highlighted by wins over both the Midshipmen and Black Knights in the same season for the first time. Thanks to the unbeaten mark, the Terriers became the first squad other than Army or Navy to claim the top seed since American (*discontinued program) accomplished the feat in 2005.

Reigning PL Rookie of the Year Corey Craig leads the charge with a 23-1 record at No. 1 singles with the lone loss occurring at then-No. 6 Harvard. Sophomore Jakob Esterowitz owns an 8-3 mark at No. 2 singles, while classmate Alejandro Licea has combined for 10 wins across courts 2 and 3. 

Freshman Gustavs Dambins has totaled 11 wins at lines 2-6 with four victories in the No. 5 slot. Senior Ben Letzer and junior Dion Loutas have also reached the double-digit win marks in the spring across courts 3-6. 

In doubles action, head coach Dejan Stankovic has tried out 18 different combinations, including nine in conference matches alone. Craig and Esterowitz have earned an 8-4 mark together, while Licea and Sajonz have posted a 7-6 mark. 

The Terriers will be seeking their first conference title since hoisting the America East trophy in 1996 and will also be after their first ever automatic NCAA bid.

The winner of Friday’s match will face either No. 4 Army or No. 5 Lehigh on Saturday in the semifinals at 10 a.m.

2024 Patriot League Men’s Tennis Championship Schedule

Thursday, April 25 – First Round

No. 8 Holy Cross def. No. 9 Lafayette, 4-1

Friday, April 26 – Quarterfinals

No. 1 Boston U. vs. No. 8 Holy Cross, 8:30 a.m.

No. 4 Army vs. No. 5 Lehigh, 10:15 a.m.

No. 3 Bucknell vs. No. 6 Colgate, 12:45 p.m.

No. 2 Navy vs. No. 7 Loyola, 3:15 p.m.

Saturday, April 27 – Semifinals

No. 1/8 vs. No. 4/5, 10 a.m.

No. 3/6 vs. No. 2/7, 2 p.m.

Sunday, April 28 – Championship

Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner, 11 a.m.