The men’s tennis season is narrowing to a close, and the College of Staten Island is right in the thick of the CUNYAC Postseason, serving as the host side in a Semifinal showdown tomorrow at the National Tennis Center in Flushing. CSI, owners of the No. 2 seed in the six-team tournament, will take on No. 3 Brooklyn College at 12 Noon on Sunday, side-by-side with top-seeded Baruch College squaring off against No. 4 Hunter College.
Postseason play began on Wednesday, with Brooklyn soaring past No. 6 Lehman College, 6-0, in their half of Quarterfinal play. No. 4 Hunter powered past No. 5 John Jay College, 5-1. The top two seeds, Baruch and CSI, earned Quarterfinal round byes. The two Semifinal winners on Sunday will meet on Thursday, May 3, at 3pm at the National Tennis Center to determine the CUNYAC Champion, a title that carries an automatic entry to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
The Dolphins have never participated in the NCAA Division III Tournament, and are seeking their first title since 2003. Back then, the CUNYAC Championship was determined via a point system in an individual flight championship system. Since the adoption of the team-format system head-to-head in 2005, CSI has advanced to the Championship Final only twice, falling both times in 2010 & 2013.
The Dolphins defeated Brooklyn College this season, 6-3. CSI took two out of three Doubles, with No. 2 Doubles pair Matthew Vesci and Tao Lin falling, 8-7 (8-3), their only loss of the season. In Singles play, CSI won four of six flights, winning at No. 3 with Raymond Hwang and No. 5 Lesly DeCastro in straight sets, while No. 1 Ivi Selenica scored a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, win over Justin Vasquez, and No. 4 Alex Tsui scored a 2-6, 7-5, 10-7, win over Jonathan Lum.
In the other Semifinal matchup, Baruch will face Hunter College in a rematch of last year’s Final, won by Baruch, 5-2. Baruch has won the CUNYAC Championship for the past two seasons and went 6-0 in CUNYAC play this season. They defeated Hunter, 7-2, when the teams faced off during the regular season on April 14. CSI defeated Hunter College, 5-4, and fell to Baruch College by the same score on April 19.
Admission to the CUNYAC Semifinals and Final round is free for all spectators. Sunday’s play is weather-permitting. Be sure to check the CSI Dolphins Website for the latest weather-related changes.
