CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team will begin its 2019 spring season this weekend, traveling to nationally ranked Ohio State for its season opener on Sunday, January 20.
Sunday, January 20 | @ No. 2 Ohio State | 10:00 a.m.
Varsity Tennis Center | 880 W. Henderson Road | Columbus, Ohio | 43214
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The Vikings
Cleveland State enters the 2019 spring season as the reigning Horizon League Champion, and returns six letterwinners for the upcoming dual season. Included in the six returners are junior Nico Mostardi, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, and sophomore Matthew Terry, the reigning Horizon League Freshman of the Year. The senior duo of Benjamin Slade and William Malm, along with junior Jack Santilli and sophomore Luke Phillips, round out Cleveland State's veteran lineup, while the freshmen duo of Clark Bilinovich and Raul Teichmann joined the Vikings during the fall campaign.
#HLMTEN Preseason Poll
Earlier this week the Vikings were selected as the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League, picked to defend their title in the #HLMTEN Preseason Poll which is voted on by all head coaches. The Vikings secured all seven first place votes, along with 49 points to beat out second place Youngstown State by 10 points. Green Bay, UIC, IUPUI, Wright State, and Northern Kentucky rounded out the poll.
Slade On CSU Singles Wins List
Entering the spring season, senior Benjamin Slade ranks eighth on the CSU Singles Wins List with 66 career victories, needing just five more wins to move into seventh place on the list. Slade, who picked up six wins during the fall season, is one of just 10 Vikings all-time to eclipse 60 career wins, and would become the eighth Viking all-time to reach the 70-win plateau with just four more singles wins.
…Mostardi Close Behind
Junior Nico Mostardi begins dual match play just six wins shy of earning a spot on the CSU Singles Wins List, owning 54 career victories. Mostardi, who recorded his 50th career singles win during a 5-0 weekend at the Viking Invitational in the fall, became the 14th Viking all-time to join the 50-win club. Mostardi was the fifth fastest Viking to reach 50 career singles wins, doing so in just 81 matches.
Mostardi Earns Oracle/ITA National Ranking
Earlier this season Nico Mostardi became the first player in program history to earn a national ranking, as he came in at No. 113 on the latest Oracle/ITA Division I Men's Singles Rankings. Mostardi is one of just 22 players from mid-major schools to be ranked in the top-125, while he is the only player from the Horizon League to appear in the rankings.
Terry & Teichmann Notch Double-Digit Wins During Fall Campaign
Matthew Terry and Raul Teichmann both recorded 10-win seasons during the fall slate, leading the Vikings in singles wins heading into the spring campaign. The 10-win fall season marks the second straight for Terry, who finished with 28 wins as a rookie last year, including 12 wins during the fall slate.
Vikings Open 2019 With Six-Match Roadswing
Cleveland State will be on the road for the first four weeks of the 2019 spring season, as the Vikings are set to open the year with six straight road matches. This marks the first time since the 2002-03 campaign that the Vikings will open with six or more matches on the road, while Sunday's contest at Ohio State will mark the 12th time that Cleveland State's season opener is played away from home during head coach Brian Etzkin's tenure.
Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Brian Etzkin is in his 17th year at the helm of the Vikings, owning a 234-170 dual match record. Last year, Etzkin guided the Vikings to their sixth Horizon League Tournament title and sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament, while posting his 13th winning season at Cleveland State.
Scouting The Buckeyes
Ohio State enters the spring season ranked No. 2 in the preseason Oracle/ITA Rankings, and is coming off a 2018 season in which they finished as the NCAA Runner-Up. The Buckeyes will open their season with a doubleheader on Sunday, January 20, hosting Xavier following their match against the Vikings.
This will be the 11th meeting between Ohio State and Cleveland State, with OSU owning a 10-0 advantage in the overall series.
