CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team will kick off its 2018 Spring Season this weekend, traveling to nationally ranked Ohio State and Notre Dame for a pair of matchups.

Saturday, January 20 | @ No. 2 Ohio State | 2:00 p.m.
Varsity Tennis Center | 880 W. Henderson Road | Columbus, Ohio | 43214
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Sunday, January 21 | @ Notre Dame | 5:00 p.m.
Eck Tennis Pavilion | Notre Dame, Indiana | 46556
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The Vikings
Cleveland State returns five letterwinners for the spring season, including senior Mirko Radosevic. Radosevic will be joined by juniors Benjamin Slade and William Malm, and sophomores Nico Mostardi and Jack Santilli to complete a strong veteran lineup. This returning group is joined by newcomers Matthew Terry and Luke Phillips.

2018 Spring Season
This weekend's matches will be the first of a 25-match spring slate for the Vikings, and the first of 13 road contests. Cleveland State enters the 2018 spring season having won 10 or more dual matches during 14 of head coach Brian Etzkin's 15 seasons with the team, including a program record 20 wins during the 2012 and 2013 spring campaigns.

Viking Trio Has Strong Fall Season
The Viking trio of Nico Mostardi, Matthew Terry and Luke Phillips all finished the fall campaign with double-digit singles wins, combining for 34 victories. Mostardi and Terry both finished with 12 wins, while Phillips posted a 10-win fall season. All three of these players earned a spot in the Main Singles Draw at the ITA Regional Tournament last fall, and combined for four singles and doubles titles throughout the fall slate.

Radosevic Notches 50^th Career Singles Win
During the fall season, Mirko Radosevic became the 12^th Viking all-time to record 50 career singles wins, ending his shortened fall season right on the number. Radosevic enters his final spring campaign just short of the top-10 singles wins list at Cleveland State, needing eight more singles wins to earn a spot on the exclusive list.

…Slade Closing In On Career Win #50
Junior Benjamin Slade enters the spring season with 42 career singles wins, needing just eight more victories to become the 13^th Viking all-time to eclipse the milestone. Slade, who notched a 20-win season as a freshman, finished the fall season with an even 6-6 record.

Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Brian Etzkin is in his 16^th year at the helm of the Vikings, owning a 217-159 dual match record. Etzkin has guided the Vikings to five Horizon League Tournament titles and five trips to the NCAA Tournament during his tenure. Last spring, Etzkin helped lead the Vikings to the championship match of the Horizon League tournament, making their eighth appearance in the title match.

Scouting The Buckeyes
Ohio State enters the spring season ranked No. 2 in the preseason Oracle/ITA Rankings, and is coming off a 2017 spring season that saw them reach the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes will open their season with a doubleheader on Saturday, January 20, hosting Xavier prior to their match against the Vikings.

This will be the 10^th meeting between Ohio State and Cleveland State, with OSU owning a 9-0 advantage in the overall series.

Scouting The Fighting Irish
Notre Dame will begin the 2018 spring season this weekend, hosting Michigan State on Friday, January 19 and Kentucky on Sunday, January 21 prior to the matchup against the Vikings. Last season, the Fighting Irish finished the season ranked in the top-50, and return nine letterwinners from that squad.

This will be the first dual match between Notre Dame and Cleveland State during head coach Brian Etzkin's 16-year tenure.