Men's Tennis | 3/1/2026 11:57:00 PM

OPENING SERVE VS ASSUMPTION UNIVERSITY
Coming off a 2025 season that featured the Greyhounds finishing 10-11 in the regular season, the men's team returns three of the four All-Conference selections: senior Herman Aguirre, senior Jakob Bordt, and junior Alec Pijnacker. So far this season, Aguirre leads the team in wins with a 5-2 record.

OPENING SERVE VS TIFFIN UNIVERSITY
Ranked No.20 by the ITA, Tiffin University meets Saint Francis for only the second time on the court. Saint Francis defeated the Dragons 4-3 last year, also in Hilton Head. This year's squad features key returners, including Jose Portillo, who currently leads the team in wins with a 5-2 record.

OPENING SERVE VS LYNCHBURG UNIVERSITY
Entering the duel with a 3-0 record, the Hornets feature two notable players who are recent Old Dominion Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week award winners: sophomore Ricards Spaks and senior Jorge Patricio Zepeda, who currently lead the team with a combined 3-0 record.

OPENING SERVE VS SPRING ARBOR UNIVERSITY 
After finishing last season with a 10-9 record and falling in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinals, the Cougars enter this season with a 3-0 mark. So far, the team leader in wins is Aziz Madatov, who has a 3-2 record.

LAST TIME OUT 
Saint Francis found bright spots in singles play, highlighted by Blake Lorenzo's decisive straight-set win at No. 3 and Jonah Ng's gritty three-set comeback victory at No. 4. The Red Flash also battled in doubles, with Lorenzo and Beau Welker pushing their match to a tight 7-6, 6-4 contest. SFU's resilience in singles showcased the team's fight throughout the lineup.

NEXT SERVE  
The Saint Francis men's tennis team is back in action on Sunday, March 15, as they take on NEC foe Binghamton at the Ebensburg Tennis Center in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, with a start time of 1 p.m.

AT THE HELM 
Head coach Hovan is in his fifth season at Saint Francis. Very few words can describe his career other than "successful," as he's helped both the men's and women's teams reach new heights. In 2023-24, he was named NEC Coach of the Year after guiding the men to their second NEC Championship Game. Last season, the women's tennis team made the NEC Championship Game for the first time in program history.

THE KINGS COURT 
Men's tennis sophomore and reigning Rookie of the Year, Kevin Titus Suresh, has been nothing short of dominant this 2025-26 season, proving why he has earned the nickname "The King." Looking back at his fall slate, Suresh posted a team-high 10-6 record across six tournaments, positioning himself for a chance to claim his first NEC Singles Championship, which earned him a spot in the ITA Masters in San Diego in early November. So far during the spring slate, he leads the team with a 12-6 record in singles and an 11-6 record in doubles.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK 
While the Red Flash retained many key players from last year's quarterfinal team, Coach Hovan and assistant coach Palko added four first-year players: Mario Beckles (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional), Luke Mitchell (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area), Jonah Ng (Fairview, Pa./Pennsylvania Cyber), and Deven Pandey (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley High School).