Oct. 4, 2002

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - - The men's tennis team opens with 35th ranked Harvard in the ECAC tournament at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. this weekend.

"It's going to be very tough but we have nothing to lose and everything to gain," said head coach Michael Bates. "It's something we want to play."

The tournament includes the top 16 teams in the Eastern region, seeded 1-16. The Bonnies currently stand 15th in the Northeast region.

The tournament is a team championship format, with three doubles and six singles as repeats.

Harvard's top two players are ranked 47th and 83rd in the nation, which will pose a challenge for the Bonnies' senior Vili Nurmi and sophomore Mario Arce.

"It's a good challenge and a good experience for all of us," Nurmi, the Bonnies' No. 1 singles player, said. "It's going to be tough playing the best 16 teams in East, and Harvard is ranked No. 2 in the East. Everyone has to play 110 percent."

"It would be nice to win, but we have to go out and play our best tennis," Arce said.

The Bonnies will face either Columbia or Dartmouth in their second match. Bates said the tournament gives them an opportunity to find out how they stack up against top competition.

"We can show we belong and are capable of playing with anyone," Bates said. "I think the guys realize what level they are capable of and how hard they have to work."

The tournament will also provide valuable experience for the rest of the fall and spring season.

"The competition is tougher than A-10, and we have to learn how to play by paying matches and hopefully building confidence," Nurmi said.

"Every match we have to build for the next day and the next tournament," Nurmi said. "Every weekend is important."