The Youngstown State men's tennis team opens play at the Horizon League Championships on Friday afternoon against Wright State. The Penguins are the sixth seed in the tournament while the Raiders are third. The quarterfinal match will be at 3 p.m.
After 17 straight tournaments were played in Indianapolis, this year's event heads to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the first time. The University of Michigan's Varsity Tennis Center will be the host facility. The Penguins played the Wolverines at the indoor complex earlier this year. The last Horizon League Championships held away from Indy was in DeKalb, Ill., in 1996.
The Guins finished the year with a 5-16 overall mark and 1-5 record in the Horizon League. Wright State enters the event with a 10-13 and 4-2 record. The Raiders have dropped three straight and four of their last five duals entering the postseason. YSU will be looking to snap a five-match losing skid on Friday.
The Penguins suffered a 5-2 dual loss to WSU on March 22 in a spirited match at the Boardman Tennis Center. Rodrigo Campos and Sharvil Nawghare earned three-set wins at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots. YSU was without junior Silviu Mistreanu who was sidelined with a shoulder injury. No. 1 doubles was decided in a tiebreaker while the No. 3 match was tied before WSU secured the point.
YSU picked up just its second Horizon League Championships win in school history last year. In a consolation match, the Guins earned a hard-fought 4-3 win over UIC. The Guins' other postseason win came against Wright State in 2009. Green Bay is the two-time defending champion and the Phoenix posted a 6-0 mark in HL play this year.
The Guins have a veteran lineup as they make their fourth staight appearance in the event. Besides Campos, seniors Max Schmerin, Sebastian Hagn, Zeeshan Ismail and Victor Theorin will be looking to have a successful final run at the league meet. Mistreanu is back in the lineup, playing at the No. 2 spot. At No. 1, Hagn is coming off a strong win against UIC. Campos led the team with three HL victories. Winning two matches were Dawoud Kabli and Mistreanu. Kabli's two wins came last weekend.
The winner of the YSU-Wright State match advances to the semifinals on Saturday to face second-seed Cleveland State. That contest is also scheduled for 3 p.m.
