Friday, May 3
Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
1 p.m.
Columbia University
vs
Bryant
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
No. 16 Lions Set to Open NCAA Tournament vs. Bryant Friday
5/1/2019 4:57:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Columbia will host the first and second rounds of the 2019 NCAA Championship at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, May 3-4
NEW YORK — The 16th-seeded Columbia men's tennis team commences 2019 NCAA Championship play on Friday, May 3 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, taking on Bryant at 1 p.m. ET.
Columbia's first round match follows the 10 a.m. opening contest between Penn State and Monmouth. The winner from each match will advance to Saturday's second-round bout at noon for a chance at a Super Regional berth.
The Lions have had a jam-packed week thus far, clinching their sixth-straight Ivy League title outright with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Cornell Big Red on Saturday before learning their postseason that they would be hosting the opening rounds for the second-straight year as a national seed.
After finishing the season with a 17-3 overall record and an unmatched 7-0 mark in Ivy League competition, Columbia earned the right to the No. 16 seed having been ranked in the top-16 for the entirety of the 2019 campaign. The Lions started off the season with a trip to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, qualifying for the 16-team event for the fourth time in five years. Despite falling to top-ranked Wake Forest in the opening match, Columbia bounced back with two big wins over No. 11 Notre Dame and No. 9. Baylor.
Columbia capped off the regular season with an unblemished 11-0 mark at home inside the Dick Savitt Tennis Center. The Lions' only three losses of the season came on the road to teams ranked inside the top 10 of the ITA standings.
LIONS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Entering the tournament, Columbia's roster features five singles players and three doubles tandems ranked by the ITA. Sophomore Jack Lin leads the way with a No. 22 singles ranking, followed by No. 37 Victor Pham, No. 107 Adam Ambrozy, No. 117 Rian Pandole and No. 125 Jackie Tang. Lin and Tang combine to form the No. 16 doubles team in the country, with No. 30 Lin/ William Matheson and No. 77 Ambrozy/Tang rounding out the ranked duos.
SCOUTING BRYANT
The Bulldogs are coming off their sixth-consecutive Northeast Conference championship after going 6-0 in NEC play. Bryant completed the regular season with a 20-10 overall record including a 6-2 mark in neutral site competitions.
Bryant has faced four of the opponents on Columbia's 2019 schedule, including a 4-0 loss to Dartmouth, a 5-2 loss to Buffalo, a 6-1 loss to Princeton and a 4-0 loss to St. John's. The Lions were undefeated against those opponents.
This will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools. The two went head-to-head for the first time on March 26, 2017, with Columbia earning a 7-0 victory at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
The 34th-ranked Nittany Lions visit the NTC with a 19-8 overall record and 8-3 Big Ten mark, having earned the two-seed in the pod. Penn State is coming off a 4-2 loss to Illinois on April 27 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament after finishing third in the league.
Penn State is led by 29th-ranked senior Constant De La Bassetiere who completed the dual season with a 20-4 overall record, all played at the top spot. La Bassetiere teams with Gabriel Nemeth to form the 45th-ranked doubles team.
The Lions own a 13-3 all-time advantage in the series against Penn State. The last meeting between the two was in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, where Penn State stole a 4-3 victory in Charlottesville, Virginia. Then-freshman Pham earned a 6-2, 6-4 victory over De La Bassetiere in the meeting.
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
The Hawks are 18-1 overall with a 6-0 mark in MAAC play, winning its fourth-straight MAAC Tournament title with a 4-0 win over Quinnipiac on April 28. Monmouth is on a 16-match win streak with its only loss of the season coming on February 9 at Navy.
Columbia owns a 5-0 series record over the Hawks, two of which occurred in the 2017-18 season. The Lions defeated Monmouth, 4-0, in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Championship on May 11, 2018, at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
For the latest on the Columbia men's tennis, follow @ColumbiaMTennis on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Columbia's first round match follows the 10 a.m. opening contest between Penn State and Monmouth. The winner from each match will advance to Saturday's second-round bout at noon for a chance at a Super Regional berth.
The Lions have had a jam-packed week thus far, clinching their sixth-straight Ivy League title outright with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Cornell Big Red on Saturday before learning their postseason that they would be hosting the opening rounds for the second-straight year as a national seed.
After finishing the season with a 17-3 overall record and an unmatched 7-0 mark in Ivy League competition, Columbia earned the right to the No. 16 seed having been ranked in the top-16 for the entirety of the 2019 campaign. The Lions started off the season with a trip to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, qualifying for the 16-team event for the fourth time in five years. Despite falling to top-ranked Wake Forest in the opening match, Columbia bounced back with two big wins over No. 11 Notre Dame and No. 9. Baylor.
Columbia capped off the regular season with an unblemished 11-0 mark at home inside the Dick Savitt Tennis Center. The Lions' only three losses of the season came on the road to teams ranked inside the top 10 of the ITA standings.
LIONS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Entering the tournament, Columbia's roster features five singles players and three doubles tandems ranked by the ITA. Sophomore Jack Lin leads the way with a No. 22 singles ranking, followed by No. 37 Victor Pham, No. 107 Adam Ambrozy, No. 117 Rian Pandole and No. 125 Jackie Tang. Lin and Tang combine to form the No. 16 doubles team in the country, with No. 30 Lin/ William Matheson and No. 77 Ambrozy/Tang rounding out the ranked duos.
SCOUTING BRYANT
The Bulldogs are coming off their sixth-consecutive Northeast Conference championship after going 6-0 in NEC play. Bryant completed the regular season with a 20-10 overall record including a 6-2 mark in neutral site competitions.
Bryant has faced four of the opponents on Columbia's 2019 schedule, including a 4-0 loss to Dartmouth, a 5-2 loss to Buffalo, a 6-1 loss to Princeton and a 4-0 loss to St. John's. The Lions were undefeated against those opponents.
This will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools. The two went head-to-head for the first time on March 26, 2017, with Columbia earning a 7-0 victory at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
The 34th-ranked Nittany Lions visit the NTC with a 19-8 overall record and 8-3 Big Ten mark, having earned the two-seed in the pod. Penn State is coming off a 4-2 loss to Illinois on April 27 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament after finishing third in the league.
Penn State is led by 29th-ranked senior Constant De La Bassetiere who completed the dual season with a 20-4 overall record, all played at the top spot. La Bassetiere teams with Gabriel Nemeth to form the 45th-ranked doubles team.
The Lions own a 13-3 all-time advantage in the series against Penn State. The last meeting between the two was in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, where Penn State stole a 4-3 victory in Charlottesville, Virginia. Then-freshman Pham earned a 6-2, 6-4 victory over De La Bassetiere in the meeting.
SCOUTING MONMOUTH
The Hawks are 18-1 overall with a 6-0 mark in MAAC play, winning its fourth-straight MAAC Tournament title with a 4-0 win over Quinnipiac on April 28. Monmouth is on a 16-match win streak with its only loss of the season coming on February 9 at Navy.
Columbia owns a 5-0 series record over the Hawks, two of which occurred in the 2017-18 season. The Lions defeated Monmouth, 4-0, in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Championship on May 11, 2018, at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
For the latest on the Columbia men's tennis, follow @ColumbiaMTennis on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
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