BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings men's tennis team begins its first NCAA Tournament Monday with a first round matchup at Nebraska-Kearney scheduled for 3 p.m. Central Time. Western New Mexico will host Saint Cloud State in the other Central Region matchup with the winners advancing to the round of 16 at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla., May 11-14.
“We are very excited to make it into the postseason, in my first year, and to be taking a MSUB tennis team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time is great for these student-athletes who have worked so hard,” MSUB head coach Lew Kosich said. “We had a great late-season run and made it to the RMAC Championship match, but as far as I am concerned the real season starts now.”
The Jackets are one of four teams making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in the 48-team field. The Yellowjackets, along with Winston-Salem State (NC), Saint Leo (FL) and Southern New Hampshire all are in for the first time.
The Yellowjackets and the Lopers split a pair of matches this season as UNK won 5-4 in Billings during the regular season, while the Jackets defeated the Lopers in the semifinals of the RMAC Championship Apr. 22, 5-3.
“We showed in the conference tournament we can beat UNK, but now we have to take it to them on their home court,” Kosich added.
MSUB is coming off of a strong, late-season run as it finished third in the RMAC standings this season with a 4-2 mark. MSUB went 8-8 against four-year schools and 10-9 overall.
The Jackets, picked tied for fifth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, earned a berth in the conference title match with a 5-2 win over Colorado State-Pueblo and a thrilling 5-3 win against UNK. Despite losing 5-0 in the championship match to WNMU, the Jackets showed they belonged in the NCAA Tournament.
The Yellowjackets are led by sophomore Navin Marimuthu who went 10-5 and 5-1 in RMAC play at No. 1 singles as he earned first team all-conference honors for the second consecutive year. Last year, Marimuthu was named RMAC Freshman of the Year. Marimuthu went 13-5 overall at No. 1 singles including three wins against junior college competition in Arizona early in the season.
The Chennai, India, native, also earned second team all-conference honors in doubles as he and freshman Kavindu Gamage went 7-7 against four-year schools and 3-3 in conference play at the No. 1 doubles position. The tandem was 9-8 overall in doubles.
Santiago, Chile, native, Alonso Leon, earned second team all-conference honors in singles at the No. 2 position as he posted a 12-2 record against four-year schools. Leon went 4-1 in conference play for the Jackets. He was a team-best 14-3 overall, including 13-3 at the No. 2 position. In doubles, Leon and freshman Thomas Staffileno went a team-best 9-4 and 4-2 in conference play at the No. 2 position. The duo was 11-4 overall.
Gamage, a native of Melbourne, Australia, had an impressive freshman campaign as he went 8-5 and 5-1 in conference play at No. 3 singles. He was 11-5 overall in singles. Fellow countryman, Delbert Landicho, a native of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia, struggled early in the season, but came on late at the No. 4 singles position. He played No. 3 doubles with freshman Brad Knutson.
UNK enters with an 18-7 record after going 5-1 in conference play earning the No. 2-seed in the conference tournament. The Lopers placed four on the all-conference team as Josh Raymond was a first team selection in singles, while Yeswanth Nadella was a second team honoree and John Steinke earned third team singles honors. The Lopers had two doubles teams make all-conference as Raymond and Nadella were first team selections, while Steinke and Kyle Conzemius earned second team honors.
