Men's Tennis Snags No. 5 Seed For BIG EAST Championship

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men's tennis team earned the No. 5 seed for the 2021 BIG EAST Tennis Championship Presented by JEEP, the league announced on Monday afternoon. The Bluejays open postseason play against fourth-seeded Butler on Friday at 4 p.m. (Central).

The Bluejays will head to Cayce, South Carolina after compiling a 6-6 record during the regular season. Creighton went 0-2 against league opponents this season, including a close 4-3 loss in Omaha against Marquette (April 3).

Butler enters the week 7-7 overall and 2-1 against BIG EAST competition, which includes consecutive wins against Xavier (7-0) and Marquette (4-3) to end the regular season.

Stratton Brown has held the top singles position this season for the Bluejays and owns a 6-6 mark at the top slot. Joe Hoff paces the team with seven wins during singles action, while playing near the bottom of the lineup.

Brown and Hoff have combined for a 6-5 doubles record at the No. 1 slot. The senior duo have posted 14 wins in doubles play over the past seasons, including eight victories during a shortened 2020 spring season.

Jose Oscar Diaz and Matthew Lanahan have paired up for a team-best nine doubles wins. The senior (Diaz)-freshman (Lanahan) duo is 8-2 at the No. 2 position.

"We are always excited to compete I such a great conference tournament, but I believe this year we feel even more fortunate," head coach Tom Lilly said. "Several of our guys have competed for four-plus years with our program and I know they will compete hard."

The 2020 BIG EAST Championship did not take place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Creighton also earned the No. 5 seed in 2019 tourney and fell 4-1 to DePaul in the quarterfinals.

Creighton is 1-5 all-time against Butler. The Bluejays lone victory against the Bulldogs came in 2016 (4-3) for the program's first BIG EAST Conference tournament victory.

The Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center will host the championship for the fifth consecutive year. The facility offers 30 lighted world-class courts with a championship-sized stadium court that has a viewing capacity of approximately 500 spectators. There are seven dedicated 38 foot courts for 8 & Under Tennis. Courts are complete with a small central gazebo, iced water coolers and electrical outlets on every court for ball-machine use.

Seeds for the championships were determined by a committee that reviews each team's regular-season schedule, ITA rankings, results against BIG EAST and common non-conference opponents and wins/losses against ranked foes.

The Men's and Women's Championship matches will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) Presented by SoFi on YouTube and FloSports. John Fanta and Joe Gentry will host whip-around coverage from the six championship courts. The Men's Championship broadcast begins at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, and the Women's Championship coverage starts at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Men's Tennis Snags No. 5 Seed For BIG EAST Championship

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Players Mentioned

Stratton Brown

Jose Oscar Diaz

Joe Hoff

Matthew Lanahan