Men’s Tennis Set To Host Trio Of Matches This Weekend - Cleveland State University

Posted: Jan 25, 2018

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team will play at home for the first time this weekend, hosting Duquesne, DePaul and Oberlin in a trio of matches at the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion.

Last Time Out…
Cleveland State opened its spring season against back-to-back Power Five teams for the first time over the last 16 seasons, traveling to No. 2 Ohio State (L, 4-0) and Notre Dame (L, 5-2). Cleveland State's two points against the Fighting Irish came from Nico Mostardi at No. 1 singles and Luke Phillips at the No. 4 spot.

The Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion
This weekend's matches will mark the first in the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion for the Vikings this spring, as they will begin a 12-match home slate. The 2018 Spring Season marks the third year that the Vikings are calling the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion home, which opened March 9, 2016. Over the last two seasons, the Vikings have posted a 6-7 record in the MMTP.

Mostardi Named #HLMTEN Singles Player Of The Week
Earlier this week sophomore Nico Mostardi picked up Cleveland State's first weekly honor of the season, as he was tabbed the Horizon League Singles Player of the Week. Over the first weekend of the spring season, Mostardi went 1-0 at No. 1 singles, picking up a 7-6(2), 6-4 win at Notre Dame, and playing an unfinished match at Ohio State. Mostardi now has a team-best 13-4 singles record this year, a mark that is also tops among Horizon League players.

Slade Closing In On Career Win #50
Junior Benjamin Slade enters the first homestand of the season with 42 career singles wins, needing just eight more victories to become the 13^th Viking all-time to eclipse the 50-win milestone. Slade notched a 21-win season as a freshman, posted 15 wins as a sophomore, and currently owns a 6-7 singles record during his junior campaign.

Evtimov Makes Cleveland State Debut
Mid-year enrollee, Gabriel Evtimov made his debut with the Vikings last weekend, playing at No. 3 singles and No. 3 doubles. Evtimov, who is from Pernik, Bulgaria, joins the Vikings as a freshman and will have four years of eligibility.

Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Brian Etzkin is in his 16^th year at the helm of the Vikings, owning a 217-161 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.

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Scouting The Dukes
Duquesne enters the second weekend of the spring season with a 1-0 record, picking up a 4-3 win against Youngstown State in its season-opener last weekend. The Dukes return eight of nine players from last season's team, including two of their top-three singles players.

This will be the 13^th meeting between Duquesne and Cleveland State, with CSU owning a 10-2 advantage in the overall series.

Scouting The Blue Demons
DePaul enters the weekend with a 3-1 record this spring, picking up wins against Eastern Kentucky, Purdue and Green Bay. The Blue Demons will face Youngstown State and Duquesne prior to Sunday's matchup against the Vikings, with Cleveland State marking the third of four Horizon League opponents for DePaul this season.

This will be the second dual match between the two teams under head coach Brian Etzkin, with DePaul posting a 7-0 victory last season in the first-ever meeting.

Scouting The Yeomen
Oberlin enters Sunday's contest standing at 0-2 so far this season, with the matchup against the Vikings marking its first dual match since October. Oberlin, a Division III school, returns eight of 14 players from last season.

This will be the fourth meeting between Oberlin and Cleveland State, with the Vikings owning a perfect 3-0 record against the Yeomen.