Senior Kendra Daigler |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Both the Niagara University men’s and women’s tennis teams will close their 2004-05 regular seasons this weekend with five matches in three days.
The Purple Eagles host Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne at noon today, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Loyola College at 11 a.m. Saturday and then the women’s team hosts Robert Morris at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The women’s team is currently 9-8 overall and 5-1 in the MAAC. With one league match left, the Purple Eagles could finish first or second depending on the outcome of first-place Marists’ two matches.
Senior Mariam Al-Shikarchy sports a six-match winning streak at No. 1 singles. She is 17-5 overall, 13-3 in dual matches and the only Purple Eagle undefeated in league action (6-0). Al-Shikarchy has never lost a MAAC singles match in her career and has a 29-0 record going into her final regular-season match.
Al-Shikarchy pairs with longtime doubles partner Danielle Greiner at No. 1 doubles. The duo is 17-3 overall, 12-2 in dual matches and 5-1 in the MAAC.
IPFW enters today’s match with a 10-18 overall record. The Mastodons have won two of their last five matches, but dropped a 6-1 match to Southeast Missouri State in their last outing.
Loyola had its two-match winning streak snapped Thursday when it lost to Lafayette, 6-1, but the Greyhounds have won their last three-straight MAAC matches. In last year’s meeting in Baltimore, Niagara beat Loyola, 5-2, and then downed them 5-2 in the MAAC semifinals in Flushing, N.Y.
Robert Morris is 2-11 on the season and has lost eight consecutive matches. The Colonials conclude their regular season with the Niagara match.
The men’s team is currently 6-10 overall and 3-3 in the MAAC. With only one league match remaining, the Purple Eagles could finish as high as fourth with a win on Saturday over the Greyhounds.
Niagara is led by the Garcia brothers, Erick and Walter. Junior Erick Garcia has won four of his last six matches at No. 2 singles while Walter Garcia has won five of his last seven matches at No. 1 singles.
In doubles, Erick Garcia and sophomore Justin McConkey have won three of their last five matches at No. 1 and the freshman duo of Walter Garcia and Alex Abji are undefeated at 4-0.
IPFW enters Friday’s match with a 6-16 record. The Mastodons snapped a nine-match losing streak Thursday with a 5-2 win at Eastern Illinois. The Niagara match is the second of a four-match road swing.
Loyola has lost three of its last five matches, including a 7-0 loss to Lafayette Thursday. In last year’s meeting in Baltimore, Niagara won 4-3 and then beat the Greyhounds, 6-1, in the first round of the MAAC Championship.
