NORFOLK, Va. – Coming off a season opening 5-2 win over Penn State, the Old Dominion men's tennis team will compete in three matches this week on the road.
Wednesday at 1pm EST, the Monarchs will tangle with Auburn in Auburn, Alabama. This match was scheduled for Jan. 23 but was moved to Auburn due to the winter weather that hit the area.
"We are happy we were able to reschedule the match against Auburn. They were very accommodating, and we will host them next year in return. It will be another hard fought match and we are hoping to capitalize on our momentum from the Penn State match," said ODU Head Coach Dominik Mueller.
Auburn is 2-0 after winning a pair of matches against North Alabama to start its spring season. The Tigers have three players ranked in the top 60 in singles: Tyler Stice (47), Tad Maclean (56) and Jan Galka (59). In doubles, they have the defending NCAA runners-up in Maclean and Finn Murgett and the tandem of Stice and Galka are ranked 28th.
This coming weekend the Monarchs will participate in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Kickoff Weekend at the University of Tennessee. The Monarchs will face the host Volunteers, who are currently ranked #1 in the latest ITA Poll, on Friday at 1 p.m. On Saturday, they will face either Memphis or Western Michigan at 10am or 1 pm.
Tennessee is 3-0 recording wins over East Tennessee State (2) and TCU. The Volunteers have a match with Wake Forest before hosting the kickoff this weekend. Memphis is 2-0 with wins over Jackson State and Northwestern. Western Michigan is 2-1 with wins over Butler and Ferris State with a loss to Michigan.
"Being in the Kickoff weekend is always special since it gives you credit for what you accomplished the previous year," said Mueller. "The best 60 teams from last year make it, so we don't take that for granted. Playing against the number one team in the country is what you live for as a competitor. I can't wait to see how we compete against the best team in the country," he added.
Live Stats and Live Video for the Kickoff will be available through the Tennessee Athletic Website, while live stats will be available for the Auburn match.