ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– The busiest weekend to date of the young Navy men's tennis season is ahead of the Mids as they will play a pair of matches on both Friday and Saturday.  Navy will split its squad with two of the matches being played at the Tose Family Tennis Center in Annapolis and two being contested at the ECU Indoor Tennis Facility in Greenville, N.C.

Navy (2-2) will play home matches Friday at 4:45 p.m. against St. Francis Brooklyn (0-2) and Saturday at 5 p.m. against Saint Joseph's (0-0).  The Mids also will face East Carolina (2-0) Friday at 2:30 p.m. and Winthrop (0-3) Saturday at noon in North Carolina.

"We have four competitive matches on the schedule this weekend," said Navy head coach Chris Garner.  "Our two home matches against St. Francis and Saint Joseph's will be challenges. St. Francis always is strong at the top of the lineup and Saint Joseph's has added several talented players this season which has made their team a lot stronger and deeper.  The two road matches also will be challenging beginning with East Carolina who has had our number over the last few years.  We finish the away schedule against Winthrop, who we had a really fun and competitive match with a couple of years ago on this same road trip.  I am sure it will be a tussle again."

Navy (2-2)
The Mids have posted 1-1 records on each of the first two weekends of the season.  Navy most recently lost a 7-0 decision to Penn and defeated Mount St. Mary's by the same score.

"The first two weekends of play have provided road opportunities to see the level of ranked teams in Dartmouth and Penn and also getting a chance to challenge for some home wins," said Garner.  "The team needs to keep taking advantage of the practice time and building upon areas they are doing well in matches and improving on other areas which will make us more competitive."

East Carolina (2-0) – Friday, 2:30 p.m., Greenville, N.C.
The Pirates began the spring campaign by recording a 7-0 win over North Carolina Central then registered a 6-1 victory over UNC Asheville.  ECU tallied a 14-7 record a year ago. One of the team's wins with a 5-2 victory over Navy.

St. Francis Brooklyn (0-2) – Friday, 4:45 p.m., Tose Family Tennis Center
The Terriers opened the 2020 season with 6-1 losses to Colgate and Binghamton and will play at Temple Thursday on their way down to Annapolis.  St. Francis posted a 1-12 record last season, which included a 7-0 loss to Navy.

Winthrop (0-3) – Saturday, noon, Greenville, N.C.
Winthrop will face Navy on the heels of dropping a 7-0 decision to Furman.  The Eagles also have suffered 4-3 losses to Davidson and Queens University.  Winthrop ended the 2019 season with a 7-13 record.  Navy defeated Winthrop, 5-2, in the most recent match between the teams two years ago.

Saint Joseph's (0-0) – Saturday, 5 p.m., Tose Family Tennis Center
Saturday's match against Navy will be the first of the season for Saint Joseph's.  The Hawks registered a 6-16 record last season.  Navy posted a 6-1 victory over Saint Joseph's a year ago.