MELBOURNE, Fla. - [
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Tournament Page] - The Sunshine State Conference Men's Tennis tournament begins with quarterfinal play on Friday, April 22nd. Barry University will host all tournament matches at IMG Academy in Bradenton.
Barry and Lynn University will share the title of "SSC Regular-season Champions" after finishing tied at 6-1 in the SSC standings. However, the Fighting Knights earn the #1 seed in this year's tournament after defeating the Buccaneers, 4-3, on Valentine's Day in Miami Shores.
Lynn will take on #8 Eckerd (0-7 SSC) in the opening round. The Fighting Knights bested the Tritons, 6-1, on March 20th in Boca Raton. #2 Barry matches up against #7 Palm Beach Atlantic University (2-5 SSC) in the quarterfinals. The Buccaneers swept the Sailfish, 7-0, on March 25th in Miami Shores. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (5-2 SSC) gathers the #3 seed and will face #6 Rollins College (2-5 SSC). The Eagles defeated the Tars, 6-1, on March 30th in Daytona Beach. Saint Leo University (5-2 SSC) pulls in the #4 seed and matches up against #5 Florida Southern College (2-5 SSC). The Lions swept the Moccasins, 7-0, on March 23rd in Saint Leo.
All quarterfinal matches will begin at 2:00 PM on Friday, April 22nd, while the semifinals will take place on Saturday, April 23rd at 2:00 PM. The championship and third-place matches will start at 1:00 PM on Sunday, April 24th.
Barry, Saint Leo, and Embry-Riddle are ranked second, third, and fourth, respectively, in the ITA's April 14th collegiate rankings. Lynn is stationed at No. 12, while Florida Southern is No. 22, Rollins is No. 26, and Palm Beach Atlantic is No. 48. The Buccaneers, Lions, and Eagles hold the top three positions, respectively, in the April 15th NCAA Division II South Region Rankings. Lynn sits in fifth, and Florida Southern is seventh.
Barry leads the SSC with five men's tennis national championships, including back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2021. Rollins picked up their last national title in 2001 and owns four overall. Lynn won the title in 2007. From 2006 to 2021, the SSC has sent a team to 13 championship matches, coming away with six titles.
NOTE: The SSC and NCAA did not crown champions in 2020 due to COVID-19.
