March 27, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy tennis team will take to the road for the final time during the regular season this weekend when the Mids play at Colgate Saturday (12 Noon) and at Bucknell Sunday (1 p.m.). Navy enters the weekend having posted a 13-7 record on the year, while Colgate has compiled a 4-7 mark and Bucknell is 7-3 entering a Saturday match against UMBC.

"We have respect for both Colgate and Bucknell," said Navy head coach John Officer. "We will need to play two solid matches and will need contributions from all of our starters."

Navy recorded a 4-3 victory over Colgate when the two teams met last year in Annapolis and both teams return five of the seven players from their respective lineups in that match. The Mids won the doubles point with victories at Nos. 1 and 3 doubles, then received singles victories from Nate Nelms (Jr., St. Mary's, Ga.), 2007 graduate Stanley Kahl and Ramsey Lemaich (So., Danville, Calif.) at the Nos. 1, 4 and 6 flights to post the victory. Back for the Raiders are Martin MacIntyre and John Nogueras, who won singles matches for Colgate at the Nos. 2 and 5 flights, respectively.

The Mids faced, and defeated, Bucknell twice during the 2007 season. Navy first tallied a 7-0 win over the Bison during the regular season, then the Mids went on to record a 4-0 victory during the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament. Individually, Nelms, Lemaich and Alex James (Sr., Visalia, Calif.) all recorded a pair of singles victory against Bucknell last year.

Navy has won four of its last six matches, with its only setbacks in this recent stretch coming to No. 10 North Carolina and to back-to-back Ivy League co-champion Penn (by a score of 4-3). Owen Bullard (Fr., Concord, N.C.) and Lemaich both have won their three most recent singles matches, while the doubles team of Nelms and Johnny Waters (Jr., Papillion, Neb.) are riding a six-match winning streak.