• Jax State (16-3, 0-0 CUSA) at Kennesaw State (14-5, 0-0 CUSA)

           Kennesaw, GA | Betty Siegel Courts | Friday, April 10 | 1 p.m. EDT

• Gardner-Webb (13-4, 3-0 Big South) at Kennesaw State

            Kennesaw, GA | Betty Siegel Courts | Saturday, April 11 | 1 p.m.
 
KENNESAW, Ga. — Kennesaw State men's tennis closes the regular season with home matches versus Jacksonville State and Gardner-Webb on April 10 and 11.

POSTSEASON APPROACHES
This weekend's matches provide the Owls with two final opportunities to cement their position in the ITA rankings ahead of the 2026 Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship, April 17-19 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The league will seed its teams in the tournament according to ITA ranking. The bottom four teams will play first-round matches on April 17, while the remainder receive a bye to the semifinal round on April 18. The CUSA Championship bracket will be released by the league on April 13.

SENIOR SENDOFF
KSU will honor its lone departing senior, Anthony Weingarten, prior to Saturday's match versus Gardner-Webb.

Weingarten came to Kennesaw State from Westcliff-on-Sea, England, and Belfairs Academy. Prior to his career as an Owl, he was a top 10 U16 prospect in England and the No. 1-ranked U18 player in Essex. Weingarten has appeared in a combined 127 doubles and singles matches with 61 career wins. The Owls have won over 50 matches during his four-year career, including three 14-win seasons.

Weingarten is set to graduate from KSU with a degree in sociology.

LAST TIME OUT
The Owls dropped their first match in three weeks in a 4-3 nail-biter versus North Florida on April 2.

KSU split No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, with Kyvan Rietkerk and Leon Peranovic falling 7-5 on court one, while Anthony Weingarten and Dominic Ducariu took court two 7-5 over UNF's Youssef Labbene and Riccardo Ciulli. Ben Hudson and Xavi Ferrer came up just short on court three in a doubles-deciding 7-6 loss.

A hotly contested singles play followed, with five of six matches decided in three sets.

The Owls trailed 3-0 after Hudson and Weingarten fell in three on courts one and three, respectively. Hudson battled back from a 6-2 set-one loss to take the second set 6-4 before falling 6-3 in three. Weingarten lost 7-5 in the first, rolled through the second 6-1, but was unable to take the match, losing 6-1 in set three.

Peranovic won the day's lone straight-set match with a 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 defeat of Labbene on court two. The win gives Peranovic a 10-5 season record.

KSU drew closer with a second point scored by Ducariu on court four. The freshman added his 10^th win of the season with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win over the Ospreys' Joao Portugal.

UNF clinched the match as Breno Marques hung on to beat Nathan Walters 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

Ferrer finished the match strong for the Owls with a 6-7, 6-0, 6-3 defeat of Aron Major on six. The sophomore from Alicante, Spain, owns a team-high eight-match singles win streak and the Owls' second-most singles wins with 12.

SERIES HISTORY
KSU and Jax State meet for the 16^th time on Friday. While the Owls lost 4-0 in Jacksonville a season ago, they own the all-time series 10-5. The Owls face Gardner-Webb for the sixth time on  Saturday. KSU has won three consecutive matches in the series and leads 4-1.

KNOW THE FOE
Jax State (16-3) went 9-0 in March matches before its streak was snapped on April 4 in a 4-2 loss at Alabama. The Gamecocks are 67-23 (.744) in singles, and 30-14 (.682) in doubles play.
Gardner-Webb (13-4) won eight straight from Feb. 28 to March 29 before dropping a 4-1 match at No. 34 Clemson on April 6. The Runnin' Bulldogs are KSU's fifth opponent this season to appear in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Gardner-Webb won the Big South a season ago before losing 4-1 to eventual national champion Wake Forest.

The Champions Fund
The Champions Fund is a newly created, 100% tax deductible, philanthropic opportunity to contribute strategic revenue to Kennesaw State Athletics, with the goal of strengthening our ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent in this new era of collegiate athletics. Contributions to the Champions Fund will help aid in funding student-athlete recruitment and retention, as well as helping the Owls provide competitive excellence through investments in coaching, travel and facilities. The fund will also give an elevated student-athlete experience, including enhanced academic, nutrition, wellness and leadership programs. Donate to the Champions Fund here and help us support our Kennesaw State Owls.