Men’s Tennis Kicks off Spring Slate with Three Matches in Two Days

Florida Atlantic Men's Tennis Opening Weekend
Matchup Details	Tallahassee, Fla. \| Scott Speicher Tennis Center vs. Florida A&M \| Friday, Jan. 10 \| 9 a.m. at Florida State \| Friday, Jan. 10 \| 4 a.m. Gainesville, Fla. \| Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex at Florida \| Saturday, Jan. 11 \| 3 p.m.
Game Coverage	Friday (FSU match only): Live Streaming (ACC Network Extra) \| Live Stats Saturday: Live Streaming \| Live Stats Twitter: @FAUMensTennis
Florida Atlantic Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule
Florida A&M Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule
Florida State Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule
Florida Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University men's tennis team begins spring dual match play on the road this weekend, with a doubleheader on Friday in Tallahassee, and a Saturday afternoon matchup against the nation's No. 1 team.

The Owls take on both Florida A&M and homestanding Florida State on Friday, in a morning and afternoon contest, respectively. FAU will then head to Gainesville Saturday and take on No. 1 Florida, bestowed as such by Oracle/ITA in the organization's Top 25 poll, released on Wednesday. Both the FSU and UF matches will be streamed live on the links above.

Owls' 2019 Season in Review
The Owls finished 19-10 and as Conference USA Tournament runners-up for the second consecutive year. The team was ranked as high as No. 45 in the Oracle/ITA rankings, the program's highest national showing in nearly two decades, and the top ranking in head coach Ricardo Gonzalez's (now seven-year) tenure.

Owls' 2020 Season Preview
The 2020 FAU roster is made up of six returnees and six newcomers. Two players back, junior Jason Legall and sophomore Alvaro Fernandez Horta, each had double-digit singles win totals during last spring's dual match season. The team does not have a senior on the 12-man roster.

Owls' Weekend Preview
Florida A&M will have one match under their belts, against Louisiana on Thursday afternoon, before taking on the Owls at 9 a.m. Friday. Last season, the Rattlers were 1-12 overall and earned the South Division No. 4 seed in the MEAC Men's Tennis Championship. Departed senior Illya Skoromnyy was chosen as Second Team All-MEAC.

The Owls will be Florida State's first official opponent of the spring, Friday at 4 p.m. The Seminoles fell just outside of the Oracle/ITA Top 25, as one of five teams noted as "Others Receiving Votes." A year ago, FSU went 19-11 and advanced to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, falling to Virginia. They would then go 1-1 in NCAA Tournament play, defeating UCF before seeing their season come to a close against Florida.

Florida, again the top team in the Oracle/ITA Division I rankings, will face off against the Owls Saturday at 3 p.m. (after facing Furman Saturday as well, at 10 a.m.). The Gators posted a 25-4 mark in 2019 and went a perfect 12-0 in the SEC during the regular season, but were defeated in both the SEC Tournament semifinals and NCAA Tournament semifinal round as well.

Owls on Social Media
Follow along with the team on Twitter at @FAUMensTennis.

What's Next
Following these lidlifting matches, the Owls will next have their home opener, Friday, Jan. 17 vs. ETSU. First serve will come at noon. The Owls actually play twice next weekend at home, also hosting USF on Sunday, again at 12 p.m.

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