Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Head to Illinois for ITA Kick-Off Weekend
January 23, 2020 | Men's Tennis
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Texas Tech men's tennis team will continue the dual match season with a trip to Champaign for the annual ITA Kick-Off tournament, beginning with a match against No. 20-ranked Michigan on Friday at 2 p.m. CT.
The Red Raiders are 3-0 in the spring and will face their first ranked opponent of the semester when they take on the Wolverines.
LAST TIME OUT
Tech knocked off a pair of in-state opponents on Monday to open their home slate in a doubleheader that featured 11 combined match points for the Red Raiders, including a 7-0 sweep of UTRGV at Lubbock Country Club.
Two Red Raiders make their debuts on Monday less than a week after arriving on campus in sophomore Isaac Arevalo and freshman Connor Johnson. Both Arevalo and Johnson won each of their singles matches on Monday.
Tech completed a comeback effort against the Wildcats of Abilene Christian after falling behind 3-0 in the match, taking the final four points including yet another match-clinching effort from sophomore Franco Ribero, his second of the year and fourth of his career.
ABOUT THE ITA KICK-OFF
Each tournament site for the ITA Kick-Off features matches against the No. 1 and No. 4 teams, as well as the No. 2 and No. 3 teams. The winners and losers of each opening match will then play the following day. Each team that wins their respective Kick-Off tournament will compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship from Feb. 14-17, hosted by the University of Wisconsin in 2020.
RED RAIDERS IN THE RANKINGS
The Oracle/ITA Division I men's singles and doubles rankings were last updated at the conclusion of the fall session on Nov. 10, 2019.
Valiev reached a singles ranking of No. 69 following a stellar fall that included a quarterfinal berth at the ITA Texas Regionals in October. Freshman Reed Collier racked up seven singles wins in his first semester as a Red Raider, including a runner-up finish at the Texas Regionals. Collier begins his spring at the No. 114 spot.
QUICK HITS
Six Red Raiders have put together an undefeated start to dual match play in 2020, including a 2-0 start by Arevalo, Johnson and Ribero. Justin Bloss, Jackson Cobb and Bjorn Thomson are all 1-0 on the season.
Tech is 5-2 overall in doubles play to begin the year with one win against a ranked opponent when 2018-19 All Americans Thomson and Parker Wynn defeated No. 16 Will Davies and Oliver Okonkwo in Iowa City a week ago.
The Red Raiders are searching for their first berth in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships since the 2016 season, where they defeated then-No. 17 Ole Miss and No. 21 Florida in Austin during the ITA Kick-Off.
Tech is 1-1 all-time against Michigan, with a 1-0 mark on a neutral court. The Red Raiders are also 1-1 against both Illinois and Ole Miss.
LIVE VIDEO AND STATS
Live stats and video for both matches this weekend can be found at the following link.
UP NEXT
The Red Raiders will return to action in their annual neutral site matchup with Texas A&M on February 2nd in Dallas. First serve for Sunday's match is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/techmenstennis and @TexasTechMTEN on Twitter and Instagram.
The Red Raiders are 3-0 in the spring and will face their first ranked opponent of the semester when they take on the Wolverines.
LAST TIME OUT
Tech knocked off a pair of in-state opponents on Monday to open their home slate in a doubleheader that featured 11 combined match points for the Red Raiders, including a 7-0 sweep of UTRGV at Lubbock Country Club.
Two Red Raiders make their debuts on Monday less than a week after arriving on campus in sophomore Isaac Arevalo and freshman Connor Johnson. Both Arevalo and Johnson won each of their singles matches on Monday.
Tech completed a comeback effort against the Wildcats of Abilene Christian after falling behind 3-0 in the match, taking the final four points including yet another match-clinching effort from sophomore Franco Ribero, his second of the year and fourth of his career.
ABOUT THE ITA KICK-OFF
Each tournament site for the ITA Kick-Off features matches against the No. 1 and No. 4 teams, as well as the No. 2 and No. 3 teams. The winners and losers of each opening match will then play the following day. Each team that wins their respective Kick-Off tournament will compete in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship from Feb. 14-17, hosted by the University of Wisconsin in 2020.
RED RAIDERS IN THE RANKINGS
The Oracle/ITA Division I men's singles and doubles rankings were last updated at the conclusion of the fall session on Nov. 10, 2019.
Valiev reached a singles ranking of No. 69 following a stellar fall that included a quarterfinal berth at the ITA Texas Regionals in October. Freshman Reed Collier racked up seven singles wins in his first semester as a Red Raider, including a runner-up finish at the Texas Regionals. Collier begins his spring at the No. 114 spot.
QUICK HITS
Six Red Raiders have put together an undefeated start to dual match play in 2020, including a 2-0 start by Arevalo, Johnson and Ribero. Justin Bloss, Jackson Cobb and Bjorn Thomson are all 1-0 on the season.
Tech is 5-2 overall in doubles play to begin the year with one win against a ranked opponent when 2018-19 All Americans Thomson and Parker Wynn defeated No. 16 Will Davies and Oliver Okonkwo in Iowa City a week ago.
The Red Raiders are searching for their first berth in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships since the 2016 season, where they defeated then-No. 17 Ole Miss and No. 21 Florida in Austin during the ITA Kick-Off.
Tech is 1-1 all-time against Michigan, with a 1-0 mark on a neutral court. The Red Raiders are also 1-1 against both Illinois and Ole Miss.
LIVE VIDEO AND STATS
Live stats and video for both matches this weekend can be found at the following link.
UP NEXT
The Red Raiders will return to action in their annual neutral site matchup with Texas A&M on February 2nd in Dallas. First serve for Sunday's match is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/techmenstennis and @TexasTechMTEN on Twitter and Instagram.
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