ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College men's tennis team will compete this weekend in the Empire 8 Championships hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology. The Bombers will face Nazareth in the semifinal round, with the winner of that dual match advancing to the finals on Sunday against either Stevens or St. John Fisher.

The Bombers finished second in the regular-season standings with a 6-1 mark in Empire 8 play. Ithaca, with a 7-11 overall record, takes on third-place Nazareth (6-11, 5-2 Empire 8) at 2 p.m. Saturday. During the regular season, Ithaca defeated Nazareth 6-3 behind three wins in doubles play and singles victories at the second, third and sixth positions.

Ithaca is led by Chris Hayes in conference singles play. Hayes was 6-1 in his Empire 8 singles matches while Kyle Van Delden was 4-0 in conference singles matches. Justin Levine and and Griffin Reid also had four singles wins each in conference. The doubles teams of David Andersen and Chris Hayes and Justin Levine and Griffin Reid each went 4-0 in the Empire 8.

Stevens was a perfect 7-0 in the league and will face fourth-place St. John Fisher, (6-10, 4-3 Empire 8) in the first semifinal beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Ducks are ranked eighth in the Northeast Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association with a 13-7 overall record.

The Bombers fell 9-0 to Stevens during the regular season and defeated St. John Fisher 7-2.

The tournament will take place at the CPA Tennis Courts on Stevens' campus. The Bombers have won five of the previous 13 Empire 8 titles that have been awarded. Ithaca most recently won the league championship in 2009.

Championship Tournament Site