West Babylon, N.Y. - The East Coast Conference Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships will get underway this Friday, April 30 with Daemen, Queens, and St. Thomas Aquinas competing for the league's championships and an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.
The tournament returns to its long-time home at Queens College Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. on Friday with a play-in round. The winners of the play-in round will advance to the championship match on Saturday, May 1.
The women’s matches will be first each day with 11:00 a.m. starts. The women’s play-in match features Daemen taking on Queens.
Daemen makes their first-ever appearance in the ECC Championship after compiling a 5-4 (3-2 ECC) record. Queens, the
Queens, the defending ECC Champion, enters the tournament having played just two matches (1-1, 1-1 ECC) so far this season due to COVID-19 protocols. The Knights, a perennial ECC power, are looking to advance to the final of the ECC Championship for the ninth straight time and for the 17th time in 18 seasons.
This will be the first meeting between the two schools this season.
The winner of the play-in round will take on St. Thomas Aquinas (9-1, 5-1 ECC) in the final. The Spartans are back in the championship for the third time in four seasons after claiming the program’s first-ever ECC Regular Season Championship.
In the men’s bracket, Daemen and St. Thomas Aquinas will meet in the play-in match at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.
As with their women’s team, the Daemen men (1-8, 0-6 ECC) are making their first-ever appearance in the ECC Championship.
St. Thomas Aquinas (5-3, 3-3 ECC) is back in the tournament for the seventh time in the last eight seasons (excluding the 2020 season which saw the ECC Championship canceled).
This will be the fourth matchup between the two schools this season. The Spartans swept the previous three.
Awaiting Daemen or St. Thomas Aquinas in the final will be Queens (7-5, 6-0 ECC). The Knights look to make it four straight ECC titles after an unbeaten run through ECC play during the regular season.
No spectators will be allowed at the ECC Men's and Women's Tennis Championships. Each match of the championship will be streamed live on the ECC Network. Watch the ECC Network at www.eccsportsnetwork.com or by downloading the ECC Network app. Find the app by searching "ECC Network" on Apple or Android mobile phones and tablets or on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku streaming devices. The broadcasts will mainly focus on the No. 1 flight in both doubles and singles but will switch to other courts when possible throughout the match.
2021 ECC Women's Tennis Championship at Queens College
Play-in - Friday, April 30
Daemen vs. Queens - 11:00 a.m.
Final - Saturday, May 1
DAE/QC vs. St. Thomas Aquinas - 11:00 a.m.
2021 ECC Men's Tennis Championship at Queens College
Play-in - Friday, April 30
No. 3 Daemen vs. No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas - 3:00 p.m.
Final - Saturday, May 1
DAE/STAC vs. No. 1 Queens - 3:00 p.m.
