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Men's Tennis Dan Graham, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Young Edinboro Seeks Upset Versus No. 2 Armstrong State in NCAA Round of 16

THE NCAA DIVISION II MEN'S TENNIS
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - ROUND OF 16
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | Denver, Co.
NCAA Tournament Bracket

Wednesday, May 18
Round of 16 - Edinboro (23-3) vs. Armstrong State (24-2), 7 p.m. ET

EDINBORO, Pa. (May 16, 2016) – The Edinboro University men's tennis team, after clinching their second NCAA Atlantic Regional II championship in three years, heads to the NCAA Division II Round of 16 in Denver, Co. to face second-ranked Armstrong State on Wednesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. The Fighting Scots are ranked third in the Atlantic Region in the latest Oracle/ITA poll with a 23-3 record. The Pirates, who are ranked second in the nation and first in the Southeast Region, stand at 24-2.

The men's tennis championships are part of the NCAA's ninth annual Division II National Championships Festival hosted by Metro State University-Denver and the Denver Sports Commission from May 16-21, 2016. 76 qualifying teams and 20 qualifying individuals will represent their institutions by competing for national championships in men's and women's golf, women's lacrosse, softball, and men's and women's tennis.

While Edinboro reached the Round of 16 in 2014, head coach Lee Underwood is the only Fighting Scot from his 2013-14 squad making that return trip. Underwood, who recently earned his third straight PSAC Coach of the Year award and fourth in the last five years, has led a young roster comprised of seven freshmen and two sophomores to the best record in school history at 23-3.

"We're looking to do as well as we can," related Underwood. "I don't want our guys to read into too much because if they think they know it all heading in, then it could spell disaster if things don't go like they planned. We have a young team, so I don't think we'll have too much of that."

Along with their youth, Edinboro will have to overcome an Armstrong State team that's appearing in its 14th straight NCAA Round of16. The Pirates have made the Final Four each of the last four years, winning the national championship in 2012 with a perfect 30-0 record. They also won national titles in 2008 and 2009.

"When we scouted them out, we noticed that they had some issues in doubles," said Underwood. "In both their regional matches, they lost two of three. They are a talented team, but if we can get some doubles, we can get into the match. If we can't, it'll be tough. So doubles are our priority… When we played West Florida [in the Round of 16] two years ago, we trailed, 3-0, after doubles, and it sort of took the wind out of our sails heading into singles."

The winner of Wednesday night's contest will play the winner of the Round-of-16 match between Indianapolis and NYIT in the Elite Eight on Thursday, May 19 at 3:00 p.m. The Greyhounds and Bears also play on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Edinboro fell to NYIT, 8-1, on April 17.

After winning their third straight PSAC title on April 30, Edinboro was chosen to host the NCAA Atlantic Regional II Championships for the first time in school history as the region's number-two seed. Earning a first-round bye, the Fighting Scots defeated PSAC-foe and sixth-ranked Mercyhurst, 5-3, in the Atlantic Regional II finals, completing a three-match season sweep of the Lakers. They defeated Mercyhurst, 5-1, in the PSAC championship.

The Fighting Scots made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament two years ago, and advanced to the Round of 16 before losing 5-0 to eventual national champion West Florida. Edinboro fell to Bluefield State, 5-0, in last year's NCAA Atlantic Regional I finals.

Sophomore Vitor Albanese, who won the PSAC Singles Championship and placed second at the USTA/ITA Atlantic Regional Singles Championship, was named the PSAC's Athlete of the Year for the second straight year after winning both the Freshman of the Year and Athlete of the Year awards in 2015. He leads the team with a 31-3 mark as Edinboro's number-one singles player, winning 16 of his last 17 matches and ranking third in the region by Oracle/ITA. He and newcomer Camilo Moncayo are 18-5 as the team's number-one tandem, ranking second regionally in doubles.

Moncayo (12-9), who is Edinboro's number-two singles player and ranks 16th in the region, earned PSAC Freshman of the Year accolades. The Colombia native became Edinboro's fifth straight rookie to receive this honor, despite joining the team in January. Freshman Mauricio Santos (21-9) is ranked 20th in the region in singles, owning a 15-5 record as the team's number-three singles player.

Sophomore Danny Fernandez was named the PSAC Tournament's Most Valuable Player after going 2-0 in doubles with freshman partner Mateus Santos and 1-0 in singles during the two-day tournament. Fernandez and Santos own a team-leading 22-8 doubles record as Edinboro's number-two duo.
 
EDINBORO IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
As the second seed earning a first-round bye, Edinboro captured its second Atlantic Regional II crown in three years with a 5-3 victory over Mercyhurst on May 8. That completed a three-match season sweep and their seventh straight win over the Lakers. The Fighting Scots made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament two years ago, and advanced to the Round of 16 before losing, 5-0, to eventual national champion West Florida. Playing in the Atlantic Region II Championship as the sixth seed, Edinboro defeated third-seed and host Charleston (WV) in its first match in NCAA history, 5-4. They earned a trip to Altamonte Springs, Florida and the Sweet 16 with a 5-3 win over Kutztown, the seventh seed. A year ago, Edinboro came in as the fifth seed in the Atlantic Region I and upset fourth-seeded Charleston (WV), 5-2. With a second straight trip to the Round of 16 on the line, the Fighting Scots dropped a 5-0 decision to top-seeded Bluefield State.
 
EDINBORO IN THE PSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Fighting Scots won their third straight PSAC men's tennis title on April 30 after going 5-0 in PSAC action during the regular season. They defeated West Chester in the PSAC semifinals, 5-0, and completed a conference three-peat with a 5-1 victory over Mercyhurst in the finals.

FIGHTING SCOTS SWEEP PSAC MAJOR AWARDS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR
The Edinboro men's tennis team swept the PSAC postseason awards for the third straight year. Sophomore Vitor Albanese was named the PSAC Athlete of the Year for the second straight year, while newcomer Camilo Moncayo was selected the Freshman of the Year. Albanese was also voted the Freshman of the Year a year ago. Head coach Lee Underwood received his third straight Coach of the Year award and his fourth in five years. Three Fighting Scots earned first team All-PSAC honors in singles play -- Albanese, Moncayo and freshman Mauricio Santos.  Albanese and Moncayo were accorded first team All-PSAC accolades in doubles competition, as well, along with sophomore Daniel Fernandez  and freshman Mateus Santos. Mateus Santos also received second team All-PSAC recognition in singles play.
 
SCOUTING EDINBORO

HEAD COACH LEE UNDERWOOD
Lee Underwood was chosen to resurrect the Edinboro men's and women's tennis programs for the 2010-11 season after Edinboro had dropped tennis in 2003. He has enjoyed great success since that time, and was named the PSAC Men's Tennis Coach of the Year for the third straight year and fourth in the last five years. He has led the Fighting Scots men to three straight PSAC titles and three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. That includes a trip to the Round of 16 in 2014, the first time Edinboro had made the NCAA's. This year's 23-3 record is the best in school history, bettering the mark of 19-9 set by the 2013-14 Fighting Scots. Previously the head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan and Davis & Elkins, Underwood is completing his 25th season as a head coach. All told, he has won 529 matches between his men's and women's teams. That includes 143 wins at Edinboro.

LEE UNDERWOOD YEAR-BY-YEAR EDINBORO MEN'S TENNIS
2010-11 – 3-10
2011-12 – 11-14
2012-13 – 16-7
2013-14 – 19-9
2014-15 – 16-7
2015-16 – 23-3
 
THE EDINBORO LINEUP
SINGLES
No. 1 – Vitor Albanese (31-3, So., Barueri, Brazil) – 2015 & 2016 PSAC Athlete of the Year; 2015 PSAC Freshman of the Year; 2015 & 2016 PSAC First Team; ranked 3rd in latest ITA Atlantic Region singles rankings.
No. 2 – Camilo Moncayo (12-9, Fr., Pasto, Colombia) – 2016 PSAC Freshman of the Year (NOTE: joined the team in January); ranked 16th in latest ITA Atlantic Region singles rankings.  
No. 3 – Mauricio Santos (21-9, Fr., Sao Paulo, Spain) – 2016 PSAC First Team; ranked 20th in latest ITA Atlantic Region singles rankings.
No. 4 – Mateus Santos (22-5, Fr., Brasilia, Brazil) – 2016 PSAC Second Team
No. 5 – Daniel Fernandez (21-6, So. , San Jose, Costa Rica) – MVP of 2016 PSAC Championships
No. 6 – Kevin Mboko (11-4, Fr., Burlington, Canada) – Rallied from a one-set deficit to defeat Mercyhurst's Ross Molinari to capture Edinboro's fifth and decisive win in the NCAA Atlantic Regional II finals.
 
DOUBLES
No. 1 – Vitor Albanese/Camilo Moncayo (18-5) – 2016 PSAC First Team; ranked 2nd in latest ITA Atlantic Region doubles rankings.
No. 2 – Daniel Fernandez/Mateus Santos (22-8) – 2016 PSAC First Team; ranked 10th in latest ITA Atlantic Region doubles rankings.
No. 3 – Mauricio Santos/Kevin Mboko (19-4)
 
SCOUTING ARMSTRONG STATE
Armstrong State pulls into their 14th consecutive Round of 16 appearance with a 24-2 record, ranking second in the nation, behind Saint Leo, in the latest Oracle/ITA poll. They are ranked first in the Southeast Region in the newest NCAA poll. The Pirates have reached the Final Four each of the last four years, earning a national championship in 2012 with a perfect 30-0 record; Armstrong State also won national titles in 2008 and 2009. They fell to Hawaii Pacific, 5-3, in last year's national semifinals match.

After picking up their 11th Peach Belt Conference championship in 12 years, the top-seeded Pirates used a pair of 5-2 wins over Queens (N.C.) and North Georgia, respectively, to capture the Southeast Regional I title. They have won their last nine matches and 19 of their last 20, with their lone defeats this year coming against Georgia Gwinnet and Saint Leo. Armstrong State celebrated a 5-1 win over NCAA Division I George Mason on March 9.

In both their sub-regional tournament contests, the Pirates trailed, 2-1, after the doubles competition, with the number-two tandem of 12th-ranked Pablo Gor and Ignacio Hernandez (21-5) accounting for each of the Pirates' lone doubles wins. The number-one duo of Alberto Casas and Jan Porteset, who are ranked tenth nationally by Oracle/ITA, possess a 13-6 record and had won 13 of their last 16 matches entering the sub-regional championships. The Pirates' singles lineup consists of three nationally-ranked players, with Gor (25-6), Otakar Lucak (14-6) and Hernandez (18-2) ranking fifth, 21st and 34th respectively. Gor is 21-4 as Armstrong State's number-one singles player, while Lucak is 13-4 in the number-two slot and Hernandez is 12-1 on court four.

WHAT'S NEXT
The winner of Wednesday night's contest will play either Indianapolis (18-2) or NYIT (20-3) in the Elite Eight on Thursday, May 19 at 3:00 p.m. The Greyhounds and Bears' Round-of-16 match is also set for Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
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Players Mentioned

Vitor Albanese

Vitor Albanese

6' 0"
Sophomore
Daniel Fernandez

Daniel Fernandez

6' 4"
Sophomore
Kevin Mboko

Kevin Mboko

Freshman
Mateus Santos

Mateus Santos

5' 8"
Freshman
Mauricio Santos

Mauricio Santos

5' 7"
Freshman
Camilo Moncayo

Camilo Moncayo

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Vitor Albanese

Vitor Albanese

6' 0"
Sophomore
Daniel Fernandez

Daniel Fernandez

6' 4"
Sophomore
Kevin Mboko

Kevin Mboko

Freshman
Mateus Santos

Mateus Santos

5' 8"
Freshman
Mauricio Santos

Mauricio Santos

5' 7"
Freshman
Camilo Moncayo

Camilo Moncayo

Freshman