Houghton men's tennis wrapped up its regular season with a 4-4 mark in Empire 8 play. Now the Highlanders move on to the E8 Tournament this week with their sights set on another championship.

However, the Highlanders are in unfamiliar territory after winning the last four E8 regular season titles and five of the last six. They lost to both No. 2 seed Oswego and No. 1 Nazareth twice this spring.

Houghton is seeded No.3 in the West Division and will take on Oswego on Tuesday, April 29 at 1 p.m. in Oswego. The top West seed Nazareth has a first round bye.

The conference has a new look this year with Oswego joining as an affiliate member and schools from the North Atlantic Conference joining as the East Division for postseason play.

The top three teams from each division will advance to the 2025 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Tournament. The top-team in each division will receive an opening round bye, while the No. 2 vs. No. 3 seeds in each division would play each other to determine the final four participants. In 2025, the West Division No. 1 seed will host the semifinals and championship. The second and third seeded East teams will play on Saturday, April 26, while the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds from the West will play on Tuesday, April 29.
 
The top-seed in the West will play the lowest remaining East Division team in one semifinal on Friday, May 2, while the East No. 1 seed will play the lowest remaining West Division team in the second semifinal. The two semifinal winners will meet for the 2025 Empire 8 Championship on Saturday, May 3. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship, which begins on Friday, May 9.

Visit the Tournament Website to follow the action.

Format: Dual match is played until decision (5 points) Three doubles matches are followed by six singles matches. No-ad scoring for both singles and doubles matches. Singles matches will play two out of three sets. Doubles play eight pro set with a twelve-point tiebreaker at 7-all.
 
Final 2025 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Seeds
East No. 1 – Thomas College (5-0 E8)
East No. 2 – Norwich University (4-1 E8)
East No. 3 – SUNY Delhi (3-2 E8)

West No. 1 – Nazareth University (7-1 E8)
West No. 2 – SUNY Oswego (7-1 E8)
West No. 3 – Houghton University (4-4 E8)
 
2025 Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Schedule

Saturday, April 26 - First Round (East Division)
East No. 2 Norwich defeated East No. 3 SUNY Delhi, 8-1 – BOX SCORE – VIDEO

Tuesday, April 29 - First Round (West Division)
West No. 3 Houghton at West No. 2 SUNY Oswego – 1 p.m.

Friday, May 2 - Semifinals (at Nazareth) – INDOOR OR OUTDOOR
East No. 2 Norwich at No. 1 West Nazareth – 1 p.m.
Winner of West No. 2/No. 3 vs. East No. 1 Thomas – 5 p.m.

Saturday, May 3 - Championship (at Nazareth) – INDOOR OR OUTDOOR
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2 – 1 p.m.