Freshman Jacquelyn Cary

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University men’s and women’s tennis teams play their first home matches of the season this weekend when they host Cleveland State Friday and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Saint Peter’s on Sunday. Play begins at 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Sunday at the Sportsplex in North Tonawanda.

The women’s squad enters the matches with a 7-0 overall record and 3-0 MAAC mark. In their last outing, the Purple Eagles defeated Bloomsburg, 5-2, and upset Colgate on its home court, 4-3. Cleveland State enters the match with a 3-6 record and was shutout, 7-0, by Ohio State Feb. 22. Saint Peter’s is winless this season, dropping its first seven matches, including a 7-0 loss to St. Joseph’s Feb. 9.

Niagara University Athlete of the Week, Danielle Greiner, is the only remaining Purple Eagle sports an undefeated record. The sophomore stands at 4-0 overall at No. 3 singles and she helped Niagara beat Colgate with a three-set win on Feb. 21.

In conference play, four Purple Eagles are undefeated. Junior Mariam Al-Shikarchy is 3-0 at No. 2, Greiner 1-0 at No. 3, freshman Aditi Krishnan is 3-0 at No. 3 and classmate Jacquelyn Cary is 3-0 at No. 6.

Niagara last played Cleveland State on March 23, 2002, and returned from Cleveland with a 6-1 win. Senior Milena Matijevic won in straight sets at No. 1 and Al-Shikarchy won at No. 2.

Against Saint Peter’s last year, Niagara recorded its third of seven eventual shutouts. The Purple Eagles won all six singles matches and the three doubles matches.

The Niagara men’s squad is 2-5 this season after dropping a pair of matches to Bloomsburg and Colgate last weekend. The Purple Eagles look to snap their four-match losing streak against a Cleveland State team that enters Friday’s matches with a 4-7 record and on a three-match winning streak. Saint Peter’s looks to win its first match of the season after losing its first six matches, including a 7-0 loss to St. Joseph’s Feb. 9.

Sophomore Erick Garcia sports a 5-4 overall record, is 2-1 in the MAAC this year and sports a 5-2 mark at No. 2 singles. Three other Purple Eagles have 2-1 record in conference play. Junior Jonathan Bozanich looks to improve on his 2-6 overall record at No. 1 singles. Senior Chris Hrisovulos is also 2-1 in league play and will be looking for a pair of wins this weekend to improve his 2-8 overall mark.

In the last meetings with Cleveland State and Saint Peter’s, Niagara posted 6-1 and 7-0 wins. Hrisovulos posted a three-set win at No. 5 singles and senior John Abella won at No. 6 singles in three-sets. Against Saint Peter’s, the Purple Eagles won all six singles matches and the three doubles matches.