CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team will begin its 2020 spring season this week, traveling to Kentucky on Thursday, January 16 before hosting Toledo and Tiffin on Saturday, January 18.

MATCH #1
Cleveland State at Kentucky | Thursday, January 16 | 11:00 a.m.
Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Complex | Lexington, Ky.
Live Stats

MATCH #2
Cleveland State vs. Toledo | Saturday, January 18 | 2:00 p.m.
Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion | Cleveland, Ohio

MATCH #3
Cleveland State vs. Tiffin | Saturday, January 18 | 6:00 p.m.
Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion | Cleveland, Ohio

The Vikings
Cleveland State enters the 2020 spring season as the reigning Horizon League Champion, and returns six letterwinners for the upcoming dual season. Included in the six returners are senior Nico Mostardi, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, and juniors Matthew Terry and Luke Phillips who both earned All-League honors last season. Senior Jack Santilli and sophomores Clark Bilinovich and Raul Teichmann round out Cleveland State's veteran lineup, while sophomore transfer Noah Cenkner and freshman Kade Mindry joined the Vikings for the spring season.

Cleveland State Set For Tough Competition
Thursday's season opener at Kentucky will mark the first of three opponents for the Vikings who finished last year ranked in the top-75, as the Wildcats finished 2019 ranked 37^th nationally. Along with Kentucky, Penn State (33^rd) and Louisville (61^st) also finished last spring ranked among the nation's best, while four additional opponents finished the season ranked in their respective regions; Butler, Valparaiso, Western Michigan, and Purdue.

#HLMTEN Preseason Poll
Last week the Vikings were selected as the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League, picked to defend their back-to-back titles in the #HLMTEN Preseason Poll which is voted on by all head coaches. The Vikings secured six first-place votes, along with 48 points to beat out second place UIC by 10 points. Youngstown State, IUPUI, Northern Kentucky, Green Bay, and Wright State rounded out the poll.

Mostardi & Terry On CSU Singles Wins List
Entering the spring season Nico Mostardi and Matthew Terry are both featured on the CSU Singles Wins List – Mostardi ranking seventh with 76 career victories and Terry ranking 10^th with 69 wins on his career. With four more singles wins Mostardi would become just the seventh Viking all-time with 80+ wins, while Terry is just one-win shy of becoming the 10^th Viking all-time with at least 70 wins on their career.

…Mostardi Closing In On CSU Doubles Wins List
Nico Mostardi is also closing in on earning a spot in the top-10 on the CSU Doubles Wins List, entering the spring season with 59 career doubles wins – just one-win shy of cracking the all-time wins list. Mostardi, who finished the 2019 spring season ranked 90^th nationally with former teammate Benjamin Slade in the Oracle ITA Doubles Rankings, has posted 15 or more doubles wins in each of his first three seasons.

Phillips Notches 50^th Career Singles Win
During the fall campaign, junior Luke Phillips eclipsed the 50-win mark for his career, entering the spring season with 56 career victories. Phillips, who became the 16^th Viking all-time to reach the 50-win mark, recorded his milestone win in a 6-2, 6-2 decision over a Marquette player at the Notre Dame Invitational. So far this season, Phillips owns a 9-5 singles record, ranking second on the team.

Mostardi Earns Oracle ITA National Singles Ranking
Earlier this season, senior Nico Mostardi was once again featured in the Oracle ITA National Singles Rankings, as he finished the fall season ranked 65^th among Division I players. Mostardi's ranking marked the highest singles ranking in program history, while he was one of just 10 mid-major players to be ranked in the top-75. This marks the second time for Mostardi to appear in the National Singles Rankings, as he earned a #113 ranking following the fall campaign of his junior year.

Vikings At The MMTP
Saturday's home opener will mark the first and second matches of a 12-match home slate for the Vikings during the 2020 spring season, as they will be calling the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion home for the fifth year. Since its opening in 2016, the Vikings have posted a 26-10 record in the MMTP, including a 9-2 mark last season.

Head Coach Brian Etzkin
Brian Etzkin is in his 18^th year at the helm of the Vikings, owning a 253-178 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.

Scouting The Matchups
Kentucky
2020 Record: 0-0
All-Time Record Against CSU: 4-0
Last Meeting: Kentucky 4, CSU 0 (NCAA Tournament, 5/13/11)

Toledo
2020 Record: 0-1
All-Time Record Against CSU: 7-0
Last Meeting: Toledo 7, CSU 0 (2/15/19)

Tiffin
2020 Record: 0-0
All-Time Record Against CSU: 0-1
Last Meeting: CSU 5, Tiffin 2 (1/23/16)