No. 2 Seeded Hatters Open ASUN Tournament Play on Saturday

Stetson men's tennis will face either Lipscomb or Kennesaw State in the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, 5 p.m., Saturday at the FGCU Tennis Complex in Fort Myers.

By virtue of being the tournament's No. 2 seed, the Hatters (14-5 overall, 4-2 ASUN) receive a bye into the semifinals. Quarterfinal play begins on Friday. This will be Stetson's first "bye" into the semis since 2010.

"Hopefully it will be a big plus for us. You prepare for the tournament the same way but you have to be smart about the off day," head coach Christophe Noblet said. "You can't just relax and sit around. We'll practice and try to simulate match play. As long we have a productive day off, it's a plus. Hopefully every year we'll be in this situation."

The Hatters fell short in their quest for the ASUN regular-season title and tournament No. 1 seed in a 5-2 loss to UNF last Saturday, but Noblet said the result gives his team a lot of hope as the head into the weekend.

"I told the guys after the UNF match that we were just one match away from winning," Noblet said. "As for the tournament, it's just about having one guy play a little bit better than he normally does. It's going to be interesting to see if the environment and the challenge can inspire someone to play their best tennis."

The Hatters have been anchored all year by co-captains Loic Blanco and Graham Ball, a junior and senior duo which has combined for 23 singles victories. But freshmen Angus Bradshaw, William Shkrob and Colter DeCoste, along with sophomore Colin MacNamara, make up the bulk of Stetson's lineup.

Stetson's youth and relative inexperience doesn't concern Noblet as the Hatters head into the most important weekend of the year.

"The freshmen have done well throughout the conference matches," he said. "They have seen it all this season. If we had an easy conference season I might be worried. But we haven't, so I think they're prepared. I don't see our youth as being an issue."

Leadership will also be a key at the ASUN Tournament. But Noblet expects that to come from more than just Ball and Blanco.

"I'm excited about the leadership of a guy like Angus, and Colin as well," he said. "It's more than just Graham and Loic. We've had great leadership from the younger guys too."

The championship match is scheduled for 1 p.m., Sunday, and will be streamed live on ESPN3.

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Players Mentioned

Graham Ball: 6' 0"; Senior

Loic Blanco: 6' 3"; Junior

Angus Bradshaw: 6' 0"; Freshman

Colter DeCoste: 6' 7"; Freshman

William Shkrob: 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Graham Ball
: 6' 0"; Senior

Loic Blanco
: 6' 3"; Junior

Angus Bradshaw
: 6' 0"; Freshman

Colter DeCoste
: 6' 7"; Freshman

William Shkrob
: 6' 0"; Freshman

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No. 2 Seeded Hatters Open ASUN Tournament Play on Saturday

Players Mentioned

Graham Ball

Loic Blanco

Angus Bradshaw

Colter DeCoste

William Shkrob

Players Mentioned

Graham Ball

Loic Blanco

Angus Bradshaw

Colter DeCoste

William Shkrob