University Park, Pa. – Looking to improve its 3-2 record, Penn State men's tennis will go up against Charlotte (3-2) at home before going on the road to face Princeton (4-1) Sunday, Feb. 10 at the Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J.
The Nittany Lions' home opener against the 49ers is slated for Friday, Feb. 8 at 4:00 p.m. in the Indoor Tennis Center.
"Whenever you have home matches there is a big advantage," head coach Jeff Zinn said. "You have your own facility, you know every crack in the court and you are familiar with it. Charlotte is an up-and-coming program. They have done really well in the past few years, beating some Power Five schools. We try to play Princeton every season because they always have a strong program and are a good test. We put both teams on the schedule because we feel they can help us achieve the goals we set out for ourselves this season."
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LAST TIME OUT
In their last time out, the Nittany Lions met Harvard Feb. 2, and Vanderbilt Feb. 3 in Cambridge, Ma. Although the Blue and White fought hard in both matches, they lost to the Crimson 4-1, and the Commodores 4-3 in a tight contest.
SCOUTING THE 49ers
Charlotte's schedule features many tough opponents early on in the season, including No. 19 Tennessee and No. 22 Alabama, which both resulted in losses.
In their last outing on Feb. 2, the 49ers saw South Carolina and were shut out, 7-0.
At the team's top spot is No. 70 Luca Keist, who is 4-2 on the year so far and has earned wins over three ranked players. He is also the only ranked singles player on the roster.
The 49ers roster also features a lone ranked doubles pair of No. 51 Luca Keist and Constandinos Christoforou.
The Nittany Lions are 1-0 all-time against the 49ers. The teams last met in 1987 and the Blue and White emerged with the win, 8-1.
LOOKING INTO THE TIGERS
Princeton is off to a very strong start to its season. The Tigers are undefeated at home so far with two wins.
The Tigers' defeated William and Mary in their most recent contest on Feb. 2, 5-2. Princeton's lone loss came at the hands on Old Dominion, 4-3.
Friday's match will be a doubles showdown, as both teams feature highly ranked pairs. The Tigers' roster features No. 15 Ryan Seggerman and Damian Rodriguez and No. 38 Justin Barki and Bill Duo. The fourth-ranked duo of Constant De La Bassetiere and Gabriel Nemeth will be at the top of the Nittany Lions' doubles lineup.
The Tigers have yet to drop a doubles point so far this season.
Penn State has an all-time 7-15 record against Princeton. The last match between the two schools came last season when the No. 42 Tigers pull out a close 4-3 win.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions will return home Friday, Feb. 15 at 5:00 p.m. to face William and Mary.
Keep up with the Penn State men's tennis team at GoPSUsports.com. For continued updates throughout the year, make sure to `like' our Facebook page at Penn State Men's Tennis and follow our twitter @pennstateMTEN.