April 15, 2010

MONROEVILLE, PA - The La Salle men's tennis team will take on Charlotte in the opening round of the 2010 Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Championship on Friday at 11 AM at Club 4 Life in Monroeville, PA. The Explorers come into the match with a 17-8 record and won four of their last six matches.

"We're looking forward to A-10s," head coach Ed Colfer said. "Our players are excited to play against high quality competition all weekend."

Junior George Gennaoui, who has played #1 singles all season, leads the Explorers with a 14-9 record. Colfer has also received strong play from seniors Jon Maula and Christian Harvey, sophomore Bill Nason, and freshmen Fernando Tovia and Trevor Donovan.

Charlotte enters the match with a 5-14 record. The 49ers have finished no worse than fifth in the previous four years in the A-10 Conference, including a title in the fall of 2007 and the program's first NCAA Tournament berth.

The 49ers are led in the spring by senior Jesse Hutchinson, who is 11-7 in singles play, including an 8-4 mark at number five.

George Washington is the top seed, while two-time defending champion Xavier is the second seed. Duquesne is seeded third and Temple is fourth. The top four seeds receive byes into the quarterfinals, which will take place on Friday afternoon. The Charlotte-La Salle winner takes on Duquesne at 5 p.m. Friday.

The seeds for the Championship are George Washington (first), Xavier (second), Duquesne (third), Temple (fourth), Saint Louis (fifth), Charlotte (sixth), St. Bonaventure (seventh), Richmond (eighth), Dayton (ninth), Saint Joseph's (tenth), La Salle (eleventh) and Fordham (twelfth).

Play begins on Friday, Apr. 16, at 8:00am, with the final match of the day starting at 5:00pm. On Saturday, Apr. 17, play begins at 8:00am with the final match slated for 2:00pm. The fifth and seventh-place matches of the 2010 Atlantic 10 Men's Tennis Championship will commence on Sunday, Apr. 18, at 8:00am. The title and third-place matches close out the event at 11:00am.