Men’s Tennis Lands No. 1 Seed For Upcoming BIG EAST Championships

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men's tennis team earned its highest seed ever, landing the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming 2023 BIG EAST Men's Tennis Championship presented by JEEP in Cayce, South Carolina, the league announced on Monday afternoon. The Bluejays will meet eighth-seeded Villanova during Friday's quarterfinal round at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center at 11:45 a.m. CT.

Creighton ended its regular season slate with a 12-6 overall record, including a perfect 4-0 mark against BIG EAST competition. The Bluejays four BIG EAST wins this season are the most since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14.

Villanova enters championship week sporting an 8-14 overall record, while holding an 0-5 mark in league play. Friday will be the first ever meeting between the Bluejays and Wildcats in program history.

Junior Matthew Lanahan and graduate student Casey Ross have held the top two singles positions this season for the Bluejays. Lanahan, a three-time BIG EAST Male Singles Player of the Week honoree, owns 10 wins in singles play, including eight from the top singles position, while Ross has combined for seven victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spot.

Sophomore Alejandro Gandini leads the Bluejays with 19 overall victories this season. The Santiago, Dominican Republic native paces Creighton with 11 wins in singles play, while teaming up with four different Bluejays for eight victories at the top two doubles positions.

Graduate transfer Oscar Alvarez and freshman Zachary Kuo have combined for nine doubles wins, mainly at the No. 3 doubles position, to lead the Bluejays in doubles victories, while junior Shin Inoue and freshman Kirtan Patel has contributed 18 wins throughout the Bluejays singles lineup this season.

Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center will host the BIG EAST Championships for the seventh straight year. The Facility offers 30 lighted world-class courts with a championship-sized stadium court that has a viewing capacity of approximately 500 spectators.

Seeding for the championships were determined by a committee that reviews each team's regular-season schedule, ITA ranking, results against BIG EAST and common non-conference opponents and wins/losses against ranked foes.

The Men's and Women's Championship matches will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) Presented by SoFi on FloSports. The Women's Championship broadcast begins at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, while the Men's Championship coverage starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

2023 BIG EAST Men's Tennis Championship Schedule

Friday, 4/21
Men's Quarterfinals – 12:45 p.m.

#1 Creighton vs. #8 Villanova

#2 St. John's vs. #7 Marquette

Men's Quarterfinals – 4:30 p.m.

#3 Georgetown vs. #6 Xavier

#4 Butler vs. #5 DePaul

Saturday, 4/22
Men's Semifinals – 1 p.m.

Sunday, 4/23

Men's Championship – 1 p.m.