Match 3: Kennesaw State at Alabama State
Date: Friday, Feb. 12; 2 p.m.
Location: Olean Black Underwood Tennis Center | Montgomery, Ala.
Links: Quick Facts | Archive Section | Roster | Schedule
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
 
Match 4: Kennesaw State at Jacksonville State
Date: Saturday, Feb. 13; 1 p.m.
Location: Olean Black Underwood Tennis Center | Montgomery, Ala.
Links:  Quick Facts | Archive Section | Roster | Schedule
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
 
Weekend Preview
The Kennesaw State men's tennis squad hits the pavement this weekend, trekking to Montgomery, Alabama to take on Alabama State and Jacksonville State as part of the Alabama State Invitational in non-conference action.
 
The men's tennis team is coming off an impressive 5-2 win over then-undefeated Belmont two weeks ago, where Manuel Castellanos, Lucas de Torres Curth, David Durham and Drew Wendel all won their singles matches.
 
The Owls (1-1) will take on Alabama State (0-2) and Jacksonville State (3-5) over the weekend.
 
The Series
Friday's match between Kennesaw State and Alabama State will mark the seventh time the two teams have played each other. The Owls hold a dominating 6-0 advantage over ASU, with the last win coming in the 2013-14 season.
 
KSU will take on Jacksonville State on Saturday, holding a 1-3 record against the Gamecocks. The two teams last played in 2013-14, and the Owls' lone victory came in the 2011-12 season, 4-3.
 
The Last Time Out
Sophomore Manuel Castellanos (7-5, 6-4), freshman Lucas de Torres Curth (4-6, 6-2, 6-2 ), David Durham (6-4, 7-5); Drew Wendel (6-1, 3-6, 6-4) all won their singles matches after the Owls earned the important doubles point, winning the first two matches to take the needed four points for the match victory.

The doubles' teams of Simon Pritchard and Castellanos (6-2) and Sam Slade and Jorge Wilton (6-2) jumpstarted KSU's day, earning a point after two straight victories over the Bruins to jump out to a quick 1-0 lead.

The momentum carried into singles play, as a lineup on No.1 Pritchard, No. 2 Castellanos, No. 3 Sam Slade, No. 4 De Torres Curth, No. 5 Durham and No. 6 Wendel took down Belmont to earn a hard-fought victory on the road.

Leading 3-2 in a back-and-forth dual match, the Owls needed one more match to secure the victory and Durham clinched the Owls' victory with a key win over Zak Khan to seal the day. Wendel also had a key victory late, earning a hard-fought three-set match win to help the Owls take the dual match on the road.

Quoting Rincon
"The team is looking forward to competing again.  This time of the year, dealing with weather conditions is tough but we have been lucky and we have been able to get some good practices in at home.  From now on we will be competing every week and we have been waiting to do that for a long time.  Our tough schedule ahead of us will get us ready for conference play.  Both Alabama State and Jacksonville State are very well coached teams with a bunch of tough competitors in their rosters.  This weekend will be a tough test for us".
--Director of Tennis, Eduardo Rincon

Next Up
The Owls continue their 2016 slate on Saturday, Feb. 20 in Clinton, S.C. against Presbyterian on the road, before playing in their first home match against in-state rival Mercer on Wednesday (Feb. 24) at 2 p.m.
 
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State men's tennis news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUMensTennis or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.