Jan. 22, 2004

CLEVELAND - The Cleveland State men's tennis team returns to the courts this week after a three-month layoff, and the schedule does the Vikings no favors. CSU opens at No. 17 Ohio State on Fri., Jan. 23, before heading to No. 59 Michigan State a day later.

"We're excited, we're not going into this as the favored team, obviously," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "We're playing these teams because we're aspiring to be at the level they are at. If we focus on each point, not each match or game, but each individual point, we can play with anyone in the nation."

The Buckeyes feature the nation's top player in senior Jeremy Wurtzman, and two of the country's top doubles pairings, with Wurtzman and Joey Atas ranked at 21st and Scott Green and Ross Wilson ranked at 38th.

Ohio State will be playing their second match of the day on Friday, raising the possibility the Buckeyes might not field their top squad against CSU. Still, sophomore Jay Tee relishes the possibility of playing the best player in the nation after losing to him, 6-2, 6-3 last year.

"I've got nothing to lose against him, and everything to prove," Tee said. "It's not like I'd be playing him for the first time."

"The spring season is a lot more fast-paced, and a lot more fun," Etzkin said. "The guys came back from the break playing pretty crisp tennis, they continued to play over the break. We've scheduled these two matches for this very test, there are a lot of goals to meet this weekend."

Following the two matches this weekend, the Vikings will face Youngstown State on Sat., Jan. 31, in Youngstown, Ohio.