Milestones and memories defined the intense three-day Big East Tournament for Creighton men’s tennis in Cayce, South Carolina. Ranked as the No. 2 seed, the Bluejays bested the likes of Marquette and Xavier before falling to No. 1-seeded St. John’s in their first conference tournament final in program history on April 20.
Though Creighton fell in heartbreaking fashion to the Red Storm, the Bluejays finished their 2025 campaign with a mark of 16-11, recording the most wins in a single season in over 25 years. The last time a Bluejay men’s tennis squad amounted to 16 wins was the 1992-93 season.
“It was a different type of thinking, a championship kind of thinking—that made us better this year,” Creighton Head Coach Gerhard Posch said.
Fueled by that mentality, Creighton opened its Big East Tournament run with a quarterfinal victory over No. 7 Marquette on April 18. The Bluejays quickly secured the doubles point as juniors Kirtan Patel and Zachary Quo won 6-2 at No. 3, followed by a 6-3 victory from senior Alejandro Gandini and junior Yuma Daijima at No. 2.
Creighton’s momentum continued into singles, claiming straight set victories at No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6 singles to clinch the match. Critical to Creighton’s dominant 4-0 sweep of the Golden Eagles was a clutch 7-5, 6-4 victory at No. 6 singles by senior Ethan Neil.
“We’ve been in that position a few times over the last few years,” Neil said, referring to the team’s experience with closing out competitive matches. “[It’s] definitely given me some experience… Seeing all my teammates fight on all the courts…I just really wanted to be able to end it as quickly as possible for them and to save everyone for the next day.”
With less than 24 hours to recover before more stiff competition awaited them, the Bluejays returned to the court April 19, putting on a gritty, determined display against No. 6 Xavier.
Neil and freshman Rocky McKenzie set the tone with a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles before Daijima and Gandini clinched the doubles point with another 6-3 victory at No. 2—a momentum-shifting advantage that proved crucial in what soon became a dogfight on the singles courts.
With a 1-0 lead in hand, the Bluejays soon extended their lead, as Gandini executed a seamless 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 1 singles. Daijima kept pace at the No. 2 singles with a 6-3, 6-2 win, propelling the Bluejays to a 3-0 advantage.
But Xavier, unwilling to readily admit defeat, responded to Creighton’s 3-0 start with a victory on the No. 5 singles court. Xavier’s Andrew Spurck bested McKenzie in three sets, for a3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.
Thus, the match homed in on the No. 3 singles spot and Creighton junior Patel. In true Big East fashion, Patel and his Xavier opponent found themselves in a deciding third set. After dropping the first set 7-5 and rallying with a 6-2 win in the second, Patel trailed once again in the third set. But despite falling down a break, 4-2, Patel refused to concede, launching a fierce comeback campaign. Battling back, the junior clinched the match in a thrilling 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
“The real discovery for me this year was how tough our guys are when it comes to conference play. … It couldn’t have been any closerfor [Patel]. I don’t know how [he was able to come back from down 4-2]…[but] that’sexactly what I mean. They find a way to be even tougher,” Posch said.
The win over No. 6 Xavier was not only a display of grit and determination from every Creighton line but also marked the first time in program history that a Bluejay men’s tennis team reached the Big East Championship. While Neil was proud of his own success, it was Patel’s clinching point—and the team storming the court in a historic moment—that stuck with him most, even if the teamdidn’t fully grasp its magnitude at the time.
“I think it took us a while to process… We were all super excited, but I think that night, it kind of settled in for us,” Neil said. “We were really happy to be part of something big for Creighton tennis, and especially as a senior, that feels really good to leave the team on a high note like that.”
With a ticket to the Big East Championship on April 20, the Bluejays faced a tall task against No. 1-seeded St. John’s. Despite a hard-fought effort, Creightonfell 4-0 to finish as runners-up.
The Red Storm came out strong, taking the doubles point with a 6-2 win at No. 1 and a 6-3 victory at No. 2. With the 1-0 advantage, St. John’s extended their lead with straight set wins at No. 6 and No. 3 singles, defeating Neal and Patel. The Red Storm sealed the Big East title win with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles.
“We knew they’d [St. John’s] come ready to play, but that was our goal too. We came out there [and] gave it all we had, but they showed up and played really well,” Neil said. “[I] didn’t feel like there was much for us to do, but we were left satisfied knowing we played as well as we could.”
Despite falling short in the Big East final, the Bluejays capped off their 2024-25 season with a 16-11 record, a historic achievement that sets the stage for what lies ahead. As Posch reflected on the season’s significance and the journey ahead for his team, the message was simple:
“I told them, ‘We’re on a journey, and this is just a step that we’re taking. We want to be back in more Big East finals; we want to make an impact on the national level. So, this is just the beginning,’” he said.