CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team will return to the road this weekend, beginning a six-match roadswing with a pair of matches at St. Bonaventure and Buffalo.
Saturday, February 24 | @ St. Bonaventure | 10:00 a.m.
St. Bonaventure Fitness Center | 2605 West State Street | Olean, N.Y. | 14760
Sunday, February 25 | @ Buffalo | 1:00 p.m.
Miller Tennis Center | 5959 Sheridan Drive | Williamsville, N.Y. | 14221
Last Time Out…
The Vikings went 2-1 during their most recent homestand, picking up a pair of 7-0 sweeps over Bucknell and John Carroll, and dropping a hard-fought 5-2 match against Butler. The loss to Butler marked the first loss in the Medical Mututal Tennis Pavilion this season, as the Vikings now stand at 7-1 when playing at home this year.
Phillips Named #HLMTEN Player Of The Week
Following his perfect 3-0 week at the top two spots of the singles lineup, freshman Luke Phillips was named the Horizon League Singles Player of the Week. Phillips notched a pair of wins at No. 2 singles against Butler and Bucknell, then earned a win at the top of the singles lineup against John Carroll to improve to 17-7 overall this season. Phillips, who has now won five straight matches, is tied for the team lead with seven singles wins this spring.
Slade Closing In On Career Win #50
Entering this weekend's matches, junior Benjamin Slade is just one singles wins shy of becoming the 13th Viking all-time to reach 50 career singles wins. Slade, who has 49 career victories, went 3-0 last weekend to improve to 13-9 on the year. In dual matches only, Slade is tied for the team lead with seven singles wins this spring.
Radosevic & Slade Move Up CSU Doubles Wins List
After picking up a win at the top of the doubles lineup against Bucknell last weekend, the duo of Mirko Radosevic and Benjamin Slade moved into sixth place on the CSU Doubles Wins List with 23 career victories. Radosevic and Slade have been one of Cleveland State's best doubles teams this year, owning a 6-4 mark overall and a 4-3 record this spring. Radosevic and Slade are one of just 10 CSU doubles teams all-time with 20+ career wins.
Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Brian Etzkin is in his 16th year at the helm of the Vikings, owning a 224-163 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 Bonnies
St. Bonaventure enters Saturday's match with a 2-6 record this spring, picking up wins against Pitt-Bradford and Fordham. Cleveland State will be the first of three Horizon League opponents for the Bonnies, as they will also face Youngstown State and Wright State this spring.
This will be the 15th meeting between the two teams under head coach Brain Etzkin, with Cleveland State owning an 11-3 record in the series.
Scouting The Bulls
Buffalo enters the weekend with an even 4-4 record on the year, including a 6-1 victory over Duquesne last time out. Sunday's match against CSU will be Buffalo's lone match of the week, and just the second home match for the Bulls this season.
This will be the eighth meeting between the two teams over the last 16 seasons, with Buffalo owning a 5-2 record in the series.
