INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the third straight year, the Cleveland State men's tennis team has been selected to win the Horizon League Championship in the annual #HLMTEN Preseason Poll which was released Friday afternoon (January 10).
This marks the eighth year that the Horizon League has released a Preseason Tennis Poll, with Cleveland State favored to win for the third time. It also marks the seventh time out of eight preseason polls that the Vikings were tabbed as a top-two selection.
The preseason poll is voted on by each head coach.
Cleveland State enters the 2020 spring season as the two-time reigning Horizon League Champions, and returns six letterwinners for the upcoming dual season. Included in the six returners are senior Nico Mostardi, the two-time reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, and juniors Matthew Terry and Luke Phillips who have earned All-League honors in both of their first two campaigns.
Entering the spring season, Mostardi ranks seventh on the CSU Singles Wins List with 76 career wins and ranks 65th nationally in the Oracle/ITA Singles Rankings. Terry joined Mostardi on the top-10 wins list following his 16-2 fall campaign, and enters the spring season ranked 10th with 69 career victories.
The Vikings will be under the direction of head coach Brian Etzkin, who is in his 18th year on the Cleveland State sidelines owning a 253-178 career dual match record. Last year, Etzkin guided the Vikings to their seventh Horizon League Tournament title and seventh trip to the NCAA tournament, while helping the team earn the highest regional ranking in program history.
Etzkin and the Vikings will begin their spring season next week, traveling to Kentucky for an 11:00 a.m. match on Thursday, January 16.
2020 Horizon League Men's Tennis Preseason Poll
1. Cleveland State, 48 (6)
2. UIC, 38
3. Youngstown State, 35
4. IUPUI, 30 (1)
5. Northern Kentucky, 19
6. Green Bay, 16
7. Wright State, 10
