Nov. 12, 2008

Garden City, NY - Head Coach Ed Canner, in his second year at the helm of the Adelphi Men's Tennis squad, has announced his spring championship schedule for the 2008-2009 season. The racketmen's schedule is as diverse as it is challenging, ranging from non-conference opponents like Knox College of Illinois to nationally ranked, East Coast Conference (ECC) rivals Concordia College.

"I wanted to put strong programs on our schedule this season to prepare this team for the jump to the Northeast 10 next season," Canner explained. "We also want to get a good look at some of the teams we will be playing in the future, so playing teams like Merrimack will only help freshmen and sophomore players." As tradition, the men will enter into the ECC Flight Tournament February 21-22 for a shot at an individual title. The Panthers will continue their journey in Orland, Florida, where they will compete against the Prairie Fire of Knox College, the Warriors of Merrimack College and the Tars of Rollins College March 15-19. Last season Adelphi took three wins while in Orlando and will look to match that feat this season.

"The Florida trip is a great opportunity to add diversity to our schedule.," Canner stated. "We are able to see different styles of play from schools in the mid-west, and playing teams from the Florida region is always important because they are always top-notch due-to the year long great weather."

Upon return the Brown and Gold will host the Golden Bears of Kutztown University on March 21 before entering into ECC competition. The Panthers will hop on the road to face St Thomas Aquinas College, Dowling College and non-conference East Stroudsburg University on March 29 before seeing the Clippers of Concordia College on April 1. Last season the #12 Clippers received a NCAA birth and advanced to the final 16 round.

"The ECC is going to be tough again this season. Queens and Concordia are still going to be top schools and the rest of the programs have continued to strengthen their game," Canner commented.

April will continue to be tough for the Panthers as they host Bloomsburg College and Westchester University before seeing the rival Knights of Queens of April 4th. The racketmen will close their regular season play with a trip to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to face the Rams of Philadelphia University on April 18. ECC Conference Championships are set to run April 21-22.

"Our schedule is going to be tough this season, but our team has grown so much in the last year that we will be able to show we can compete with the top programs in the area," Canner said.