MSU Indoor Tennis Facility Information
DETROIT (1/29/16) – The University of Detroit Mercy men's tennis team returns to action this weekend in East Lansing, Mich., taking on Ball State University and Michigan State University in dual match action Saturday.
The matches, hosted by MSU, will take place at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility on the campus of the Spartans. The Titans square off with Ball State at 2 p.m. before turning their attention to Michigan State at 6 p.m.
SCOUTING THE TITANS Detroit is 1-2 in the early going of the 2016 season, with both losses coming on the road. The Titans lone win was a neutral site victory over Wisconsin-Whitewater.
As a team, the Titans are 9-9 in singles with junior
Patryk Koscielski and freshmen
Nicholas Solarewicz and
Adam Zychowicz leading the way with two wins apiece. All three players are 2-1 in singles this spring.
In doubles, Detroit is 5-4 through the early going of 2016. The duo of junior
Chance Conley and freshman
Griffin Mertz are a perfect 3-0 from the third doubles position.
LAST TIME OUT The Titans split a dual match last weekend from Dekalb, Ill. Detroit picked up its first win of the season, 7-0, over Wisconsin-Whitewater, before falling in a tight 4-3 decision to Northern Illinois. Koscielski, Solarewicz and Zychowicz each went 2-0 in singles to highlight the weekend for Detroit and carry two-game win streaks into Saturday's action.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS The Cardinals have played only one match so far during the spring season, a 6-1 win over Eastern Illinois. Against Eastern Illinois, Ball State rolled through straight-set victories at four singles spots and won all three doubles flights to lock up the 6-1 decision. Conner and Lucas Andersen, Marko Guzina, Colin Rigney and Andrew Stutz all won in singles competition against Eastern Illinois.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS Michigan State is 3-2 so far this season. The Spartans have played two matches at home, winning both against Toledo, 6-1, and Wright State, 7-0. Michigan State features four players with a trio of singles wins already and sports a team record of 17-13 in singles. The Spartans are battle-tested, with two nationally ranked opponents already under their belt. Michigan State has experimented with seven different doubles combinations and are 7-6 in doubles competition.
ALL-TIME RECORDS The Titans are looking for their first win over both the Cardinals and the Spartans. Ball State owns a 10-0 all-time mark over Detroit, while Michigan State is 8-0. The Titans fell to BSU 6-1 and Michigan State 7-0 last spring.
WELCOME BACK The Titans returned six players from the 2015 season, including senior
Rafael Orantes, juniors
Kacper Stelmaszak,
Chance Conley,
Ismail Kadyrov,
Patryk Koscielski and sophomore
Nathan Ponton. The freshman class of
Griffin Mertz,
Nicholas Solarewicz and
Adam Zychowicz round out the roster for Detroit.
Koscielski led the team with 13 singles victories in 2014-15, followed by Stelmaszak and Ponton with 10 apiece. Koscielski also led the squad with 10 doubles victories last season. Ponton recorded eight doubles wins, while Conley picked up seven.
Detroit hopes to build upon a strong fall that saw the team go 16-13 in singles. Conley, Orantes and Ponton each went 2-1 individually, while promising newcomers Zychowicz, Solarewicz and Mertz combined to go 8-2 in singles fall action.
2016 HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL The Titans were selected fifth in the 2016 Horizon League Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's coaches, the conference office announced Friday afternoon. The top-six teams in the HL standings will make the Horizon League Tournament, hosted by the University of Michigan in 2016.
| Men's HL Preseason Poll |
| Rank | School | Points (1st place votes) |
| T-1 | Green Bay | 46 (4) |
| T-1 | Valparaiso | 46 (4) |
| 3 | Cleveland State | 37 |
| 4 | Youngstown State | 28 |
| 5 | Detroit | 22 |
| 6 | Illinois-Chicago | 18 |
| 7 | Northern Kentucky | 14 |
| 8 | Wright State | 13 |
UP NEXT After the duals match Saturday, the Titans return to action Friday, Feb. 5 at the University of Michigan. Detroit also hosts Wayne State University in their home opener from the Franklin Athletic Club on Sunday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m.
