Toledo Set to Play First Two Conference Matches

Toledo, Ohio - The Toledo men's tennis team will host a Mid-American Conference pod featuring Western Michigan and Buffalo to open conference play this weekend. UT (3-9) and the Broncos kick off action on Friday with a 2:00 p.m. indoor match at Shadow Valley Tennis and Fitness in Maumee, Ohio. WMU and Buffalo will play Saturday at 2:00 p.m., and the Rockets and Bulls will close out the weekend with a 2:00 p.m. faceoff on Sunday.

Saturday and Sunday's matches are expected to be played outdoors at the UT varsity tennis courts, but game day decisions could bring those matches indoors to Shadow Valley as well. Fans are encouraged to check the men's tennis twitter page (@ToledoMTennis) for all weather related updates.

The weekend will be an opportunity for the Rockets to compete against "two of the top teams in the MAC," according to head coach Al Wermer.

"Our team thrives on challenges and we'll certainly face two big ones in conference play against Western Michigan and Buffalo," Wermer said. "These are the best teams in the MAC and we get to play them on opening weekend, and again in April. We know it's a new season, but every moment matters, and there's lots of pressure on all the players."

UT is coming off a spring break trip to Florida that saw the team win 7-0 over Hampton on March 6 and lose 4-3 to Radford on March 7.

The trip south was highlighted by the No. 1 doubles pairing of Luka Vitosevic and Danilo Vukotic who extended their record to 4-1. One week after a close 6-4 doubles match loss to No. 17 Notre Dame, the pair won 6-1 against both Hampton and Radford. The two have Toledo's best doubles record this season since pairing up in February.

LAST MEETINGS
UT's last meeting against Western Michigan was a 1-6 road loss in Kalamazoo, Mich, to close out the 2016-17 season. The Rockets' point came from junior Omar Espinosa in the No. 5 singles spot. Espinosa rallied after dropping the first set 4-6 and came back to score 6-4, 6-3.

Toledo last saw the Bulls in a 6-1 home loss on April 2, 2017 in the third match of MAC competition. Senior Stjepan Sisko swept his opponent in the No. 1 singles spot to give the Rockets their point.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Omar Espinosa

Luka Vitosevic

Danilo Vukotic

Footer