Coming into any championship tournament is no easy task, but coming in as the No. 7 seed means the team will have to battle some tough competition.

Under the guidance of head coach Steve Brumbaugh, the UD men's tennis team did just that as the Flyers traveled to Monroeville, PA for the Atlantic 10 Championships, April 7 through 10.

UD compiled a 10-11 overall record during the 2005-2006 season prior to the tournament. The second place winners from last year's tournament, the Flyers were the No. 7 seed after losing 2005 A-10 All Conference Team Member Rob Altenau and former A-10 Player of the Week Jonathon Khoury to graduation.

UD opened against Fordham. The Flyers had control of every aspect of the day, sweeping the Rams 4-0. Sophomore James O'Connell and senior Jamison Downs each won their matches at No. 2 and No. 4 singles, respectively.

Both doubles pairs of junior Tom Murphy and Downs as well as O'Connell and junior Rex Cabrera took their points with scores of 8-3 and 8-1, respectively. Murphy at No. 1 singles and freshman David Peyton at No. 6 singles where also each leading before their games were called.

The Flyers were now scheduled to play against Xavier in a rematch of the Feb. 22 meeting. UD was hoping to take revenge on the Musketeers after falling 5-2 to XU.

In a close day of tennis, the Flyers were able to secure the upset, overtaking the Musketeers 4-3.

At No. 1 and No. 2 singles Murphy and O'Connell again impressed, taking their points for the day. After securing the doubles points, UD now looked to the No. 6 singles spot for the win. At No. 6 singles Peyton went on to take the win over Mike Dieciuc in three sets, 7-6, 1-6, 7-5.

The win over Xavier marked the first time a seven seed ever moved to the semifinal round of the A-10 Tournament and guaranteed the Flyers a position in the semi-final round in a rematch of last year's tournament championship. UD would meet Richmond for the right to move on to the 2006 championship final against Charlotte.

Facing the defending champions, the Flyers fought hard but were unable to overcome the Rams, falling 4-1. Junior Rex Cabrera picked up the lone point for UD as he defeated Sami Belakhlef at No. 3 singles. For the doubles point, UD won one of three matches as Peyton and freshman Brad Roby earned a win over Richmond pair Chris Louis and Dave Berry.

However, even though UD lost to Richmond, the Flyers were still in the tournament. As URI moved onto the finals, UD was set to face Temple for the third place game.

In another closely played contest, UD fell to the Owls 4-3. UD's top doubles pair of Murphy and Downs went on to finish out the season with the win, compiling a 15-7 doubles record this year.

UD went on to earn the doubles point after O'Connell and Cabrera also defeated their Temple opponents, 8-0. The pair completed their seasons with an 11-8 record together.

The Flyers earned their two other points thanks to the play of O'Connell at first singles and sophomore Chris Jones at sixth singles.

The loss to Temple put UD at fourth overall, three spots better than seeded. Upon completion of the tournament, UD came home with two other awards. O'Connell and Murphy were each recognized for their outstanding play and contributions to the team during the year.

Murphy received his third All-Conference accolade as O'Connell reeled in his first conference award.

After the tournament the team now has the chance to evaluate their play.

'Overall, we are pretty happy with the way we finished, but definitely feel that we had an opportunity to win it,' Murphy said. 'Our loss to Richmond was a tough one because we were very even with their team.'

Now the Flyers will look to the 2006-2007 season as the men prepare during the summer with individual tournaments and lifting and conditioning. With the loss of only one senior, the Flyers will look to continue the success they have had as well as improve the overall team record.