Saturday, April 19
Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center)
12:00 PM
Creighton University
4
vs
1
#6 Xavier (BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals)
Kirtan Patel
Photo by: Joe Willman
Men’s Tennis Defeats Xavier, 4-1, Advancing To First Ever BIG EAST Tourney Finals on Sunday
4/19/2025 3:33:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Bluejays will be making its first ever appearance in the BIG EAST Championship Finals
CAYCE, S.C. – The Bluejays took a 3-0 lead and used a three-set come-from-behind victory from junior Kirtan Patel to help the Creighton men's tennis team defeat sixth-seeded Xavier, 4-1, on Saturday afternoon at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C.
With the win, the Bluejays advance to the BIG EAST Championship match for the first time in program history and will face top-seeded St. John's on Sunday at 12 p.m. Central on FloSports. This year marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that the top two seeds of the BIG EAST Tournament will play in the finals.
The win also lifts Creighton to 16-10 on the year, matching its most wins in a single season since 1992-93. Xavier, meanwhile, ended their season with a 10-13 overall record.
"Xavier brought a lot of energy today and it was a hard fought match until the very end," said assistant coach Matthew Lanahan. "Our guys were able to step uo in big moments and never gave up. It was a great match and we look forward to another one tomorrow."
The Bluejays stormed out of the gates, capturing the doubles point for the 20th time this season with wins at the top two doubles positions. Senior Ethan Neil and freshman Rocky McKenzie teamed up for the 6-3 victory on the No. 1 doubles court, before junior Yuma Daijima and senior Alejandro Gandini clinched the first point of the match with an identical 6-3 win on the No. 2 doubles court.
Creighton would then surge out to an early 3-0 lead in singles play, capturing victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots. Gandini quickly earned a 6-1, 6-2 win at the top singles spot, moments before Daijima posted a 6-3, 6-2 straight sets triumph on the No. 2 singles court to give the Jays a 3-0 advantage.
Xavier's Andrew Spurck answered with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 come-from-behind victory over McKenzie on the No. 5 singles court, before Patel rallied from a one set deficit to clinch the Bluejays first trip to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship Match.
After dropping the first set, 7-5, Patel regrouped and claimed a 6-2 victory in set two to force a decisive third set. The junior from Ontario, Canada, then rallied from a 4-2 deficit with four consecutive game winners to clinch the overall match with a 6-4 third-set victory.
The Bluejays will continue their postseason run on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. Central when they take on top-seeded Xavier in the BIG EAST Championship Finals on FloSports.
With the win, the Bluejays advance to the BIG EAST Championship match for the first time in program history and will face top-seeded St. John's on Sunday at 12 p.m. Central on FloSports. This year marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that the top two seeds of the BIG EAST Tournament will play in the finals.
The win also lifts Creighton to 16-10 on the year, matching its most wins in a single season since 1992-93. Xavier, meanwhile, ended their season with a 10-13 overall record.
"Xavier brought a lot of energy today and it was a hard fought match until the very end," said assistant coach Matthew Lanahan. "Our guys were able to step uo in big moments and never gave up. It was a great match and we look forward to another one tomorrow."
The Bluejays stormed out of the gates, capturing the doubles point for the 20th time this season with wins at the top two doubles positions. Senior Ethan Neil and freshman Rocky McKenzie teamed up for the 6-3 victory on the No. 1 doubles court, before junior Yuma Daijima and senior Alejandro Gandini clinched the first point of the match with an identical 6-3 win on the No. 2 doubles court.
Creighton would then surge out to an early 3-0 lead in singles play, capturing victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots. Gandini quickly earned a 6-1, 6-2 win at the top singles spot, moments before Daijima posted a 6-3, 6-2 straight sets triumph on the No. 2 singles court to give the Jays a 3-0 advantage.
Xavier's Andrew Spurck answered with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 come-from-behind victory over McKenzie on the No. 5 singles court, before Patel rallied from a one set deficit to clinch the Bluejays first trip to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship Match.
After dropping the first set, 7-5, Patel regrouped and claimed a 6-2 victory in set two to force a decisive third set. The junior from Ontario, Canada, then rallied from a 4-2 deficit with four consecutive game winners to clinch the overall match with a 6-4 third-set victory.
The Bluejays will continue their postseason run on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. Central when they take on top-seeded Xavier in the BIG EAST Championship Finals on FloSports.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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