Men's Tennis Hosts Nicholls On Friday

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans men's tennis begins Southland Conference play on Friday, Feb. 17 when they host Nicholls, first serve is scheduled for 10 a.m.

New Orleans (2-1) holds a 4-1 advantage in the series over Nicholls (1-2) since joining the Southland Conference, with one of UNO's victories coming in the conference tournament. In last season's installment, the Privateers bested the Colonels 5-2 with New Orleans taking five of six singles matches including victories by Jeffrey Hsu, Giacomo Adoncecchi and Nicolas Kramer.

"This matchup is starting to become an in-state rivalry," head coach Burzis Kanga said. "Every time we play against each other it is a competitive match. This season [Jeffrey] Hsu has stepped into a leadership role on this team, he has played amazing tennis so far this year and we are going to need him to continue playing at that level and lead the team."

The Privateers enter the match after a tough 5-2 loss to Southern Miss on Saturday, Feb. 11. Hsu leads the Privateers with a 3-0 record at the top singles flight, standing as the only singles player in the Southland Conference who is undefeated at the top position with at least three decisions. In doubles action, Adoncecchi and Luis Albuquerque have the most victories of any of the undefeated pairs, currently boasting a 3-0 record at the third slot.

Nicholls also lost their last match, falling 4-0 to NAIA powerhouse Xavier (La.). The visiting Colonels have yet to claim a doubles point, going a combined 1-5 in their first three matches.

Following the conference opener, the Privateers hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to Troy, Alabama for a matchup with Troy on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 12 p.m.