Friday, September 16
Storrs, CT
10AM
Quinnipiac University
at
University of Connecticut
QU Men's Tennis Opens 2016-17 Season At UConn Invitational
9/16/2016 8:57:00 AM | Men's Tennis
UCONN COUNTRY
The Quinnipiac men's tennis team travels to Storrs, Connecticut this weekend for the UConn Invitational at the UConn Tennis Courts with play scheduled to begin on Friday, Sept. 16 and continuing through Sunday, Sept. 18. Action begins at 10 a.m. each day.
LAST YEAR'S UCONN INVITE
The Quinnipiac men's tennis team picked up four championships last year at the UConn Invitational. In singles, the Bobcats won three championships as Julian Rozenstein (Marlboro, New Jersey) won the Flight "A" North singles championship, Willem van Biezen won the Flight "B" West singles championship and Kei Ezaka (Ojai, California) won the Flight "A" South consolation singles championship. Sophomore Kyle Alper (Dix Hills, New York) reached the Flight "A" North singles championship match where he fell to Rozenstein after winning in the semifinals, In doubles, Luke Roser (Bernardsville, New Jersey) and van Biezen shut out UConn's Jacob Spreyer and Christopher Toner, 6-0, in the Flight "A" championship match. Alper and Rozenstein reached the Flight "B" doubles championship match but fell to Sacred Heart's Anthony Savio and Derek Chapman, 6-4.
EZAKA INVITED TO ITA TOURNAMENT
Senior Kei Ezaka was chosen to compete at the 2016 Oracle/ITA Masters at Pepperdine University, which takes place from Oct. 13-16. The tournament hosts 32 elite men's and women's singles players, along with 32 mixed doubles teams competing for championships. Each collegiate conference gets one player into the singles draw per gender. The player that is chosen is the returning conference player of the year. Ezaka returns as the reigning MAAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year, while boasting a rating of 11.81 according to UTR. Ezaka comes into the season with 109 wins, which places him in sixth on Quinnipiac's all-time wins list. Ezaka also recorded a career-high 39 wins last season, which was tied for third most in a season in program history.
BOBCATS LOOKING FOR MAAC TITLE
Quinnipiac captured the regular season MAAC championship last year but fell to Monmouth in a dramatic title match in the conference tournament. This year, the Bobcats return many of the key pieces from last year's regular season title team in hopes of getting to the NCAA Tournament. In addition to MAAC Player of the Year Kei Ezaka, the Bobcats also return Freddie Zaretsky and Julian Rozenstein, who ended last season at No. 2 and No. 3 in singles. Senior Ryoma Haraguchi played at No. 6 singles at the end of last season, while junior Kyle Alper was in the lineup for much of last season as well. The Bobcats do need to replace Luke Roser, who set a school record with 42 combined singles and doubles wins last year.
ROZENSTEIN TIES SCHOOL RECORD
Quinnipiac's Julian Rozenstein tied the program record for singles wins in a single season with 24 as he went 24-9 in singles play a year ago, matching the 24 wins earned by James Kwai in 2011. Rozenstein was also 11-9 in doubles for 35 total wins.
KEI CHASING HISTORY...
Quinnipiac senior Kei Ezaka has several Bobcat records in his sights as he enters his senior year. He comes into the new season with 109 total wins, including 55 in doubles and 54 in singles. He needs 28 total wins to match the school Division I record of 137, set by John Hughes in 2010, a record which seems attainable, as Ezaka had 39 total wins last season. Ezaka needs 21 singles wins to tie the record of 75, set by former teammate Eric Ambrosio in 2015 and 21 doubles wins to tie the record of 76, set by Brian Mikkelson in 2011.
...BUT PERHAPS NOT FOR LONG
Senior Kei Ezaka could graduate this season with the school record for total wins in a career, but junior Julian Rozenstein has a chance to take at least the singles record from him one year later. Rozenstein comes into his junior year with 44 career singles wins, just 10 behind Ezaka. In overall wins, Rozenstein sits at 69, putting him on pace for 138, one more than the current record set by John Hughes in 2010, but Ezaka is on pace to pass Hughes and finish with 148 if he matches the 39 wins he earned last year.
COMING UP NEXT
Following the UConn Invitational, the Quinnipiac men's tennis team will compete in the Connecticut State Championships next weekend, which will be hosted by Yale.
The Quinnipiac men's tennis team travels to Storrs, Connecticut this weekend for the UConn Invitational at the UConn Tennis Courts with play scheduled to begin on Friday, Sept. 16 and continuing through Sunday, Sept. 18. Action begins at 10 a.m. each day.
LAST YEAR'S UCONN INVITE
The Quinnipiac men's tennis team picked up four championships last year at the UConn Invitational. In singles, the Bobcats won three championships as Julian Rozenstein (Marlboro, New Jersey) won the Flight "A" North singles championship, Willem van Biezen won the Flight "B" West singles championship and Kei Ezaka (Ojai, California) won the Flight "A" South consolation singles championship. Sophomore Kyle Alper (Dix Hills, New York) reached the Flight "A" North singles championship match where he fell to Rozenstein after winning in the semifinals, In doubles, Luke Roser (Bernardsville, New Jersey) and van Biezen shut out UConn's Jacob Spreyer and Christopher Toner, 6-0, in the Flight "A" championship match. Alper and Rozenstein reached the Flight "B" doubles championship match but fell to Sacred Heart's Anthony Savio and Derek Chapman, 6-4.
EZAKA INVITED TO ITA TOURNAMENT
Senior Kei Ezaka was chosen to compete at the 2016 Oracle/ITA Masters at Pepperdine University, which takes place from Oct. 13-16. The tournament hosts 32 elite men's and women's singles players, along with 32 mixed doubles teams competing for championships. Each collegiate conference gets one player into the singles draw per gender. The player that is chosen is the returning conference player of the year. Ezaka returns as the reigning MAAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year, while boasting a rating of 11.81 according to UTR. Ezaka comes into the season with 109 wins, which places him in sixth on Quinnipiac's all-time wins list. Ezaka also recorded a career-high 39 wins last season, which was tied for third most in a season in program history.
BOBCATS LOOKING FOR MAAC TITLE
Quinnipiac captured the regular season MAAC championship last year but fell to Monmouth in a dramatic title match in the conference tournament. This year, the Bobcats return many of the key pieces from last year's regular season title team in hopes of getting to the NCAA Tournament. In addition to MAAC Player of the Year Kei Ezaka, the Bobcats also return Freddie Zaretsky and Julian Rozenstein, who ended last season at No. 2 and No. 3 in singles. Senior Ryoma Haraguchi played at No. 6 singles at the end of last season, while junior Kyle Alper was in the lineup for much of last season as well. The Bobcats do need to replace Luke Roser, who set a school record with 42 combined singles and doubles wins last year.
ROZENSTEIN TIES SCHOOL RECORD
Quinnipiac's Julian Rozenstein tied the program record for singles wins in a single season with 24 as he went 24-9 in singles play a year ago, matching the 24 wins earned by James Kwai in 2011. Rozenstein was also 11-9 in doubles for 35 total wins.
KEI CHASING HISTORY...
Quinnipiac senior Kei Ezaka has several Bobcat records in his sights as he enters his senior year. He comes into the new season with 109 total wins, including 55 in doubles and 54 in singles. He needs 28 total wins to match the school Division I record of 137, set by John Hughes in 2010, a record which seems attainable, as Ezaka had 39 total wins last season. Ezaka needs 21 singles wins to tie the record of 75, set by former teammate Eric Ambrosio in 2015 and 21 doubles wins to tie the record of 76, set by Brian Mikkelson in 2011.
...BUT PERHAPS NOT FOR LONG
Senior Kei Ezaka could graduate this season with the school record for total wins in a career, but junior Julian Rozenstein has a chance to take at least the singles record from him one year later. Rozenstein comes into his junior year with 44 career singles wins, just 10 behind Ezaka. In overall wins, Rozenstein sits at 69, putting him on pace for 138, one more than the current record set by John Hughes in 2010, but Ezaka is on pace to pass Hughes and finish with 148 if he matches the 39 wins he earned last year.
COMING UP NEXT
Following the UConn Invitational, the Quinnipiac men's tennis team will compete in the Connecticut State Championships next weekend, which will be hosted by Yale.
Players Mentioned
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