University Park, Pa. – Penn State men's tennis will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to start its spring season at ITA Kickoff Weekend.
The Nittany Lions will first face Kentucky in the single-elimination event while host, No. 7 Wake Forest will play East Tennessee State University. The winners of both matches will then battle for a spot in the National Team Indoor Championships.
"We have a lot of really great senior leadership, no doubt, and some really talented freshmen," head coach Jeff Zinn said. "I'm looking forward to seeing how we progress as a team throughout the season. Right now we have our sights set on Kentucky and we're ready for the challenge."
"Feels good to get the season underway," associate head coach Paul Tobin said. "I am excited to see the freshman in their first college match."
FALL RECAP
The Blue and White traveled for three tournaments during the fall.
Senior Christos Antonopoulos finished the fall 4-2 in addition to advancing to the singles round of 16 at ITA Regionals.
The pair of Antonopoulos and fellow senior Christian Lakoseljac went 2-0 in the fall and ended the season as the No. 33 doubles team in the nation.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kentucky is off to a hot 3-0 start with victories against Cleveland State, Toledo and Notre Dame.
The Wildcats' lineup features two strong freshmen in Liam Draxl and Alexandre LeBlanc. Draxl enters the season as ITA's second-ranked freshman/newcomer and LeBlanc ended the fall as the No. 55 ranked singles player.
The team also has five returning players who played in at least one match last season.
"Kentucky has a solid team and we are going to need our top game on every court to pull this one out," Tobin said. "The guys are pumped up and ready."
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.