CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team will kickoff the 2018 fall campaign this weekend, with Nico Mostardi, Matthew Terry and Luke Phillips in action at the Oracle ITA Masters and Milwaukee Tennis Classic. This marks the first time that Cleveland State will be represented at either tournament.
Oracle ITA Masters | Malibu, Calif. | Sept. 20-23, 2018
Participants: Nico Mostardi
Live Scoring | Singles Draw | Mixed Doubles Draw
Mostardi earned a spot in the Oracle ITA Masters after being named the Horizon League Player of the Year last season, and is one of 32 men's players selected for the draw. In addition to competing in the 32-player singles draw, Mostardi will also be paired with Northern Kentucky's Margita Sunjic – who was named the Horizon League Player of the Year on the women's side – for the 32-team mixed doubles draw.
Mostardi enters his junior campaign just four wins shy of reaching 50-career victories, owning a 46-27 singles mark. Mostardi has played at the top of the lineup for his entire Cleveland State career, and is coming off a sophomore campaign in which he posted a 28-7 singles record.
Milwaukee Tennis Classic | Milwaukee, Wis. | Sept. 20-23, 2018
Participants: Luke Phillips & Matthew Terry
Live Scoring | Singles Draw | Doubles Draw
Phillips and Terry were both selected for the Milwaukee Tennis Classic field based on results from last season and Universal Tennis Rankings, and will compete as part of a 64-player singles draw, while also teaming up to compete in the 32-team doubles draw.
Phillips and Terry are both coming off outstanding rookie campaigns – Phillips earning Second Team All-Horizon League honors and Terry earning Horizon League Freshman of the Year accolades. Phillips finished his rookie season with a 27-13 singles record, while Terry finished with a 28-11 mark – both of which rank in the top-10 on the CSU single-season wins list.
2018 Fall Campaign
This marks the first of five weekends during the 2018 fall campaign for the Vikings, with Cleveland State also competing at the ITA All-American Championship (Sept. 29-30), Rocket Invitational (Sept. 28-30), Purdue Fall Invitational (Oct. 5-7), ITA Midwest Regional (Oct. 17-21), and the third annual Viking Invitational (Nov. 2-4).
The Vikings
Mostardi, Phillips and Terry are three of six returning letterwinners for the Vikings, while the team will also welcome in two newcomers for the upcoming season. Last year, Cleveland State captured its sixth Horizon League tournament title, and made its sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Cleveland State will be under the direction of 17-year head coach Brian Etzkin – the all-time winningest coach in program history. Etzkin has led Cleveland State to all six Horizon League tournament titles and all six trips to the NCAA Tournament.
