LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis men's and women's tennis teams are set with a full road schedule this weekend, including the start of Northeast Conference play. On Friday, the full Red Flash squad will play a match at Duquesne at 11 a.m. The SFU women then face LIU on Saturday at 3 p.m. Both the Saint Francis men and women are scheduled to wrap up the weekend at Mount St. Mary's on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis women (3-6) at Duquesne women (2-1) and Saint Francis men (1-9) at Duquesne men (2-0)
Location: Alpha Tennis and Fitness of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Date and Time: Friday at 11 a.m.
 
SCOUTING THE DUKES
The Duquesne women enter Friday's match with a 2-1 record. Last weekend, the Dukes shutout Mercyhurst 7-0 on Sunday. Duquesne began the season with a 5-2 win at St. Bonaventure before losing to Youngstown State. The women finished with a 5-6 record in 2020, concluding with a 7-0 win against Saint Joseph's.

The Duquesne men hold a 2-0 record to begin the season, beating St. Bonaventure 5-2 in the season opener and Mercyhurst 6-1 last weekend. In 2020, the men finished 3-9, earning wins against Carnegie Mellon, Denison and Davidson.

SERIES WITH THE DUKES
The women's teams most recently met in 2019 when Duquesne won by a 5-2 margin. The men mostly recently played in 2018. Sebastian Pinos won his No. 2 doubles match but ultimately the Red Flash fell by a 5-2 margin.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis women (3-6) vs. LIU women (1-0)
Location: Mount St. Mary's University Tennis Courts
Date and Time: Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
SCOUTING THE SHARKS
LIU opened the season last weekend with a 6-1 win against Wagner. The Sharks earned the doubles point and five of the six singles points in the victory, winning all five singles matches in straight sets. Last season, LIU finished with a 7-5 record. The Sharks returned all eight student-athletes from last season's team and added one freshman to the roster.

SERIES WITH THE SHARKS
This will be the first meeting between LIU and Saint Francis. The Red Flash most recently played LIU Brooklyn in the NEC semifinals in 2017 when LIU Brooklyn advanced.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis women (3-6) at Mount St. Mary's women (1-1) and Saint Francis men (1-9) at Mount St. Mary's men (0-2)
Location: Mount St. Mary's University Tennis Courts
Date and Time: Saturday at 3 p.m.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
The Mount St. Mary's women hold a 1-1 record after opening the season last weekend with a 7-0 win against La Salle and then a 5-2 loss against Saint Joseph's. The Mountaineers are scheduled to play LIU on Friday. The women finished the 2020 season with a 0-8 record.

The Mountaineers men are 0-2, losing to La Salle by a narrow 4-3 mark and Saint Joseph's 6-1 last weekend to open the season. Last season, the men finished with a 3-9 record, earning wins over Kutztown, Newberry and Holy Cross.

SERIES WITH THE MOUNTAINEERS
The Red Flash and Mountaineers women last played during the 2019 season. Saint Francis won that contest 5-2 with Cutipa winning her singles match in straight sets.
The Saint Francis and Mount St. Mary's men most recently met during the 2018 season, when the Red Flash claimed the 5-2 win. Pinos was a member of the winning SFU doubles team and won his singles match in straight sets.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Saint Francis women beat Mercyhurst by a 4-3 margin to open the weekend before falling to Bucknell by a 5-2 margin. Against Mercyhurst, the Red Flash earned all four points in singles matches as Dominique Yeo won at No. 1 singles, Anouk Ma-Ajong won at No. 2 singles, Nagisa Miyake won at No. 3 singles and Romina Cutipa won at No. 4 singles. Yeo and Cutipa also won their No. 1 doubles match. Cutipa and Marie Discini each won their singles matches against Bucknell. Cutipa was named an NEC Prime Performer on Wednesday for her play against Mercyhurst and Bucknell.  

The Saint Francis men lost to Mercyhurst and Bucknell by a 5-2 margin. Samuel Ghigiarelli won his No. 6 singles match against Mercyhurst as the Red Flash also picked up the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Against Bucknell, Andrew Teixeira won his match at No. 2 singles in straight sets and Jordi Garcia did the same at No. 5 singles.
 
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To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.