MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Maryville's men's tennis team competed at the CCS Tournament starting on April 23rd in hopes to keep their season alive and head to the NCAA championship. While playing great tennis and establishing themselves as ready to win, the Scots fell in the semi-finals, ending their season with a record of 12-7. 

The #3 seed Maryville took on #6 seed Belhaven University in the first round of the tournament on April 23rd, and it proved to be a great opener for the Scots. Doubles was the start of the winning ways, as #3 pair Grant Price and Benjamin Schneider took care of business with a score of 6-1. #2 pair Jackson Meyer and Field Myatt did more of the same, beating the same pair that they played in the regular season by the exact same scoreline, 6-3, to clinch the doubles point for the Scots. 

Singles had more wins in line for Maryville. The first to finish was CCS Rookie of the Year Steven Fitzsimmons, downing his opponent 6-1, 6-0 to put a second point up on the board for the Scots. After that, Price won his match at #2 6-1, 6-1 to put the Scots up 3-0, needing only one match to move on to the semi-final round. To finish the job, Schneider and James Smith finish the job in tandem, with Schneider winning at the #4 position 6-0, 6-2 and Smith winning at #1 6-1 ,6-2. Myatt was one game away from joining the party, winning up 6-3 ,5-1, and Luka Romano was winning in his encounter 6-4 ,3-0 before having to abandon those matches. 

The Scots next task was to face the Scots of Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Last time, Covenant College took the match 6-1, getting off to a strong start from winning in doubles and not looking back. This time, however, on April 24th, Maryville got off to a flying start, and it set the scene for an unforgettable clash. 

Doubles was a strong point for MC, and that was proven in the semi-final matchup. Price and Schneider locked down the #3 position, taking a 3-0 lead and never looking back to win their match 6-3 to set up the doubles clinch. After 5 minutes, Meyer and Myatt clinched at #2, with a scoreline of 6-3, and the Scots were elated. That win led to the first time MC had won a doubles point against Covenant, and the Scots looked to continue their hot start heading into the singles portion. 

Singles was the battle that Maryville had anticipated and prepared for, but it didn't start the way the Scots had hoped for. Fitzsimmons was downed at the #6 slot, quickly evening the score for Covenant, and every singles court besides Myatt and Price had dropped their first set, swinging the momentum into Covenant's direction. However, the Scots weren't ready to go out without a fight. Both Romano and Smith equalized on their courts, with both of them being down a set and 2-4 in the second to win four games in a row to make it even in both contests. However, Covenant swung the momentum back their way, as Schneider fell at #4. Not long after, Romano fell at #5, and suddenly Covenant had the possible clinch at 3 different places in the lineup: #1, #2, and #3. 

The clinch wouldn't come from #3. Myatt had a masterful match, taking home the second point for the Scots with a scoreline of 6-4 ,\\, 7-6 (7-3) over a CCS All-Conference second team recognized opponent while the other matches were holding on. Smith had his match at 3-4 in the third set when Price had match points at #2 come and go, as Covenant evened the score in the #2 match. Then, Covenant broke through at #1, breaking Smith to send him down 3-5 and needing to win that game in order to keep hope for a win alive. Covenant closed the door, winning four points in a row to seal their spot into the final, and sending the Scots home. Price was leading 7-5, 5-6 before the contest was abandoned.

That match closed the season for the Scots. Men's tennis won their first ever post-season match this year against Belhaven, and Smith, Price, Fitzsimmons, and Head Coach Doug Corbett were all recognized by the conference for their outstanding work. Fitzsimmons and Corbett won Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year awards, bringing home hardware for the first time in school history, while Price and Smith both made it to the All-Conference First Team, both for the first time. Myatt was also recognized by the conference by making the CCS All-Tournament team after a phenomenal performance over the course of the tournament, winning 2 doubles matches and an important singles contest. Finally, Smith has the most wins in program history in singles, holding a 36-23 record across three years as a Scot, and Meyer has the most wins in program history for doubles, holding a 40-42 record across four years, with a 12-6 record this year. 

Maryville finished their last year in the CCS with a 12-7 record, including a 5-3 record within the conference. Starting in the 2026-27 season, they will compete in the Southern Athletic Association.