NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State men's tennis head coach Mark Klysner announced the fall and spring 2019-2020 schedule Friday.
"I am looking forward to this season as we have a lot of experience coming back on the roster, as well as adding two high-level guys who will be joining us this fall," coach Klysner said. "I have high hopes for this group and our depth will definitely be our strength this season."
The Redbirds will compete in five tournaments in the fall season, including the fourth annual Redbird Invitational to be held here in Normal. Illinois State will also make stops at the USTA River Forest Clay Court Tournament, the Western Michigan Invitational, the Louisville Invite and the ITA Regionals, held at Ohio State.
"The fall schedule is a nice mixture of tournaments which should present us with a lot of matches against teams we don't typically see or play," said Klysner.
The 'Birds will open the spring slate on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at Northwestern and will then return home for four consecutive matches. Illinois State will then face 10 non-conference opponents before opening Summit League play on Thursday, Feb. 27 as the team hosts Drake.
"The spring schedule is going to challenge the guys as we play four teams who went to the NCAA Tournament and were ranked in the top-75 in the nation last year," coach Klysner said. "We've got a great home schedule playing 11 matches in the dome, which is always a plus."
Last season in dual play, the squad posted an impressive 10-3 home record. The Redbirds finished with a 13-12 overall record, placing the team sixth in the Summit League.
"The guys are ready to start and are feeling confident that we can make a run at the conference title, and I believe we can as long as we can stay healthy," said Klysner.
The team returns eight players from last season and adds freshman Nam Pham and Western Michigan transfer Nicholas Hebda.
Illinois State's fall season is slated to begin on Friday, Sep. 13, as the squad travels to Chicago for the USTA River Forest Clay Court Tournament.
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