GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah men's tennis team is set to begin the MAC Commonwealth tournament tomorrow afternoon against the Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen. The Falcons finished the regular season with a 6-3 overall record, while five of those six victories were 9-0 sweeps. They picked up a hard fought 5-4 win against Lebanon Valley in their lone matchup earlier this season.
 
Messiah will take on Lebanon Valley on Criste Courts tomorrow beginning at 4:00 p.m.
 
See below for a quick preview of the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals against Lebanon Valley:
 
No. 2 Messiah University Falcons – 6-3 overall, 4-1 conference
 
Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats
 
 
Messiah comes into the day having won two of their last three matches, with the lone loss coming in non-conference play against DeSales University. The Falcons bring a mixture of upperclassmen and underclassmen to their starting lineup. The top three spots feature two seniors in Andrew Bookman and Galen Fitzkee along with junior Jarod Snader. The final three spots include two sophomores in Connor Rose and Jonathan Baker to go along with freshman Michael Niemi.
 
As mentioned, five of their six wins have come by 9-0 scores to go along with their 5-4 win over Lebanon Valley back on Apr. 21.
 
The trio of Bookman, Fitzkee, and Snader have been rock solid in singles play this season while Bookman and Fitzkee have teamed up to be the Falcons best doubles duo. Bookman, playing primarily at the No. 1 spot all year long, finished with a 7-2 record in singles play during the regular season.
 
Fitzkee has been playing primarily at No.2 singles all year long, and comes into the semifinals with a 7-1 record in singles play. The duo of Bookman and Fitzkee hold an impressive 7-1 record at No.1 doubles.
 
Jarod Snader is the lone Falcon with an unblemished record in singles play, as he sits at 9-0 on the season, playing primarily in the No. 3 singles slot.
 
No. 3 Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen – 6-2 overall, 3-2 conference
 
Schedule  |  Roster  |  Stats
 
 
Lebanon Valley comes into the match having lost two of their last four matches to the top two teams in the conference in Messiah and Stevenson. The Dutchmen are an upperclassmen heavy team, featuring four seniors and two juniors. Leading the way in singles play are Luke Senft and Jonathan Yenser.
 
Playing primarily at the No. 3 singles spot, but also getting some time at No. 2 and 4, Senft went 7-1 during the regular season. His lone loss came on court three against the Falcons Jarod Snader on Apr. 21.
 
Yenser also comes in with a 7-1 regular season record. He has played a mixture of matches at the No. 4-6 singles spots and is undefeated on courts four and five.
 
The doubles team of Jeffrey Bauer and Brendan Byler have been solid at the No. 1 and 2 spot all season long. They come into the match with a 5-1 regular season record.
 
When They Met
 
The Falcons and Dutchmen battled in Annville, Pa. on Apr. 21. The match was tied at 3-3 and coming down to the wire before Andrew Bookman (6-2, 6-2) and Jarod Snader (6-2, 4-6, 6-0) won their matches to win it for Messiah before Lebanon Valley claimed the last match to make the final 5-4.
 
Tournament History
 
Messiah and Lebanon Valley have met in the MAC Commonwealth tournament five of the last six times the tournament was held. The Falcons have handled the Dutchmen in every match, beating them in the semifinals three times (2014, 2016, 2019) and in the finals two times (2017, 2018).
 

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