NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's tennis team will continue its postseason run on Friday, May 1, traveling to Thomas College for a 5:30 p.m. Empire 8 Semifinal matchup against West Division top seed St. John Fisher University at the A Copi Tennis & Sports Center in Augusta, Maine.

Norwich enters the semifinal at 13-3 overall after turning in a commanding 6-1 victory over SUNY Delhi in Saturday's Empire 8 First Round, a result that pushed the Cadets to a new single-season program record for wins.  St. John Fisher earned the West Division's top seed after going 8-0 in Empire 8 play and 10-3 overall during the regular season, advancing directly to the semifinal round with a first-round bye.  The winner of Friday's match will move on to Saturday's Empire 8 Championship, where it will face either East Division top seed Thomas College or West Division No. 2 Alfred University.

The Cadets have continued to build one of the strongest seasons in program history through depth, consistency, and balance across the lineup.  Norwich finished second in the East Division standings at 4-1 in conference play and has now reached the Empire 8 Semifinals for the second straight season after falling to Nazareth University in last year's semifinal round.

Jaxson Redmond (Kennebunkport, Maine) and Terrance Bayly-Henshaw (Scottsville, N.Y.) have remained the anchors at the top of the lineup all spring.  Bayly-Henshaw carries an 11-2 record at No. 2 singles into the semifinal, while Redmond has posted a 9-3 mark at first singles.  The duo has also continued to deliver at No. 1 doubles, compiling a 9-3 record together and helping set the tone in several key matches.

Norwich has also received important production throughout the rest of the lineup.  Stephen Hartigan (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and Juan Gonzalez Torres (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) have played major roles in both singles and doubles competition, while Diego Lorente Fuentes (Valencia, Spain) and Lily Walker (Marstons Mills, Mass.) came through with key postseason points in the quarterfinal win over SUNY Delhi.  That overall depth was on full display Saturday, when the Cadets swept doubles play and claimed five of the six singles flights to advance.

In the quarterfinal, Norwich established control early and never allowed SUNY Delhi to settle into the match.  Lorente Fuentes and Walker earned the first doubles result at No. 3, Hartigan and Gonzalez Torres followed with a win at No. 2, and Redmond and Bayly-Henshaw completed the sweep at the top flight.  Redmond and Bayly-Henshaw then added straight-set singles victories, while Lorente Fuentes, Walker, and Gonzalez Torres also collected singles points in the decisive team effort.

St. John Fisher enters the semifinal as one of the hottest teams in the conference.  The Cardinals have won nine straight dual matches and outscored Empire 8 opponents by a 45-11 margin during league play.  Tyler Hernandez has led the way at first singles with a 7-1 conference record, while Will Chubb has been a steady presence at second singles.  Matthew Lincoln has gone 6-2 in conference action at third singles, Sebastian Dix was unbeaten at 8-0 in league play at fourth singles, and Sean Brown posted a 6-0 mark at fifth singles.  In doubles, Hernandez and Chubb went 6-1 at the top flight, while Lincoln and Dix were unbeaten at No. 3 doubles during conference play.

Friday's semifinal will mark the first-ever meeting between Norwich and St. John Fisher, adding another new layer to an already historic spring for the Cadets.  Norwich has already rewritten the program record book with 13 victories, and another win would send the Cadets into the Empire 8 Championship for the first time.

The other semifinal will be contested earlier Friday, with host Thomas College meeting Alfred University at 2:30 p.m.  The Empire 8 Championship match is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at Thomas College, with the conference champion earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

With a record-setting season already secured and a championship match now within reach, Norwich will head to Waterville looking to carry its postseason momentum one step further against one of the Empire 8's top programs.