Northern Kentucky’s men’s tennis team will play a pair of opponents this Friday and Saturday as the Norse continue their preseason slate, taking on Dayton and Chattanooga. First serve against the Flyers is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 10, while the Norse will host the Mocs on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. Both matches will be held at Five Seasons Sport Club in Crestview Hills, Ky.
NKU Men (1-2) vs. Dayton (2-5)
Friday, Feb. 10 – 6:30 p.m.
Crestview Hills, Ky. – Five Seasons Sport Club
Live Scoring
NKU Men (1-2) vs. Chattanooga (1-5)
Saturday, Feb. 11 – 4:00 p.m.
Crestview Hills, Ky. – Five Seasons Sport Club
Live Scoring
LAST TIME OUT: NKU had some promising matchups while taking on the No. 15 team in the nation on Sunday, falling 4-0 to Kentucky. In No. 1 singles, Mate Virag went up against No. 17 Ryotaro Matsumura, who has already secured All-American distinction after claiming the title at the Oracle ITA Masters national championship in the fall. Matsumura won in straight sets, but Virag was able to push extra games in the opening set before ultimately falling, 7-5. In doubles, the Wildcats secured the opening-point win with victories in the No. 2 and 3 slots, but NKU’s top pairing of Virag and Lukas Clemens had the No. 23 team of Beck Pennington and Enzo Wallart against the ropes when their set was halted, holding a 4-3 advantage over UK’s duo.
SCOUTING DAYTON: The Flyers hold a 2-5 record, and have played two common opponents of the Norse this year. Dayton started out the year at No. 15 Kentucky, falling in a 6-1 decision to the Wildcats. The Flyers also took on Abilene Christian on Jan. 27 and were barely edged out, 4-3. The next day, NKU hosted ACU and snapped the Wildcats’ seven-match winning streak, 5-2. Dayton’s lineup is headlined by sophomore Jordan Benjamin, who was named the 2016 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and also received first-team honors. Benjamin most recently returned to action for Dayton’s latest match against Butler, having sat out five matches since retiring in the first set of singles play at Kentucky. In Benjamin’s absence, Carsten Fisher moved up to the No. 1 spot while also playing in No. 1 doubles with Zach Berry. Fisher was also an A-10 First Team honoree in 2016, while Berry was placed on the Second Team. Friday marks the fifth-straight year that NKU plays Dayton during the nonconference season, with the Norse holding a 3-2 record in that five-year span. The last the two teams met up for a dual was on March 18, 2016, when the Norse secured a 4-2 win on the road.
SCOUTING CHATTANOOGA: The Mocs sport a 1-5 record this season, with the lone win coming by way of a 4-2 decision over Tennessee Tech on Feb. 3. Chattanooga also had an early season match with a formidable opponent, falling to No. 9 North Carolina, 6-0, on Jan. 22. Much like Dayton, Chattanooga’s top player sat out the beginning of the season before returning to action in the No. 1 singles spot two matches ago. Since then, Lucas Plesky, who was named to the All-Southern Conference Second Team in 2016, has fallen in both singles matchups. Chattanooga has plenty of experience on the team, but a trio of freshmen has spent significant time in the singles rotation, led by Niklas Gerdes primarily in the No. 2 slot. As a team, the Mocs have a rich history in the SoCon with 12 conference titles to their name, the second-most of any team, but have not appeared in a tournament final since the 2006 campaign.
For more information on NKU’s men’s and women’s tennis program, follow the team on Twitter @NKUNorseTennis or at facebook.com/nkunorsetennis.
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Chloe Smith
Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Northern Kentucky Universit