CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team will look to continue its winning ways this weekend, as the Vikings are set for their annual Spring Break trip. The Vikings will be traveling to the state of Texas for three matches, facing Abilene Christian, SMU, and Texas-Arlington.
Saturday, March 8 // @ Abilene Christian // 11:00 a.m. EST
Eager Tennis Pavilion // 2195 Oliver Jackson Blvd. // Abilene, Texas // 79699
Monday, March 10 // @ SMU // 1:00 p.m. EST
Bent Tree Country Club // 5201 Westgrove Drive // Dallas, Texas // 75248
Tuesday, March 11 // @ Texas Arlington // 3:00 p.m. EST
UTA Tennis Center // Summit Ave. & West Second St. // Arlington, Texas // 76019
Kuelker Named HL POW: Matt Kuelker was named the Horizon League Player of the Week Monday, following a perfect 4-0 weekend against Saint Louis and Southern Illinois. Kuelker led the Vikings with a pair of wins at No. 2 singles, and a pair of victories at No. 2 doubles. For the season, Kuelker has a team-best 16-8 singles record, including a 9-2 mark this spring.
Vikings On A Roll: After starting the spring season with a 1-4 record, the Vikings have rebounded over the past four weeks, winning six straight to stand at 7-4 overall this season. CSU owns a 3-1 record while playing at home, and a 4-3 mark when playing on the road.
Vikings In The Record Book: Entering the spring break trip, Matt Kuelker and Matt Ford rank in the top-10 in career singles wins – Kuelker ranking fifth with 72 wins and Ford ranking seventh with 58 wins. Kuelker is one of just six Vikings all-time to notch 70 wins on their career, while Ford is one of just eight Vikings to reach the 50-win mark. Jorg van der Vloet and Ali Shabib are just shy of the top-10 list, both with 40 wins on their careers.
Doubles Play: Cleveland State's doubles play has dramatically improved over the last six matches, winning 13 out of 16 completed doubles contests during this stretch. These 13 wins have added up to six doubles points for the Vikings, who won just three doubles matches during the first five contests.
Streaking: Four Vikings enter the weekend with at least a three-match singles win streak, including Joe VanMeter who has won his last seven matches. Matt Kuelker has won six straight matches, while Manuel Bellutti has won five straight and Nolan Marks has won three straight. This quartet has accounted for 30 of CSU's 43 singles wins this spring.
The Opponents: This will be the first time that Cleveland State will face Abilene Christian, SMU, and Texas Arlington under head coach Brian Etzkin. ACU enters the weekend with a 5-6 record this season, while SMU is 6-7 overall and Texas Arlington is 3-6 on the year.
