Troy University Athletics
Troy University
West Alabama
Men’s Tennis Opens Season Against West Alabama
1/18/2019 10:05:00 AM | Tennis (M)
The Trojans are ready to open their 2019 season on Monday, January 21 under new head Rolando Vargas. With much depth on the roster, the Trojans saw action in the fall at the different tournaments including ITA Regionals at the University of Alabama.
Sophomore Pelayo Antuna, who was named Sun Belt Freshman of The Year last year, was able to clinch a singles title win at the Chattanooga Invitational, where he defeated an opponent from Memphis in a three-set thriller. The only senior on the roster Jiaqi Duan had an impressive performance at Mercer Gridiron Classic. Duan beat two opponents from Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State, while falling short in doubles play with his teammate Jorge Poyatos. At the final tournament in the fall at UT Chattanooga, redshirt sophomore Christopher Tasker and freshman Trey Whittaker were able to win two singles matches at No.4 & No.6 spots respectively.
The Trojans will have at least two new additions to the roster in the spring season. Junior Oskar Michalek will be back in play after sitting out during the fall, and freshman Manuel Bernard recently joined the team from Italy.
Quotable - Troy Head Coach Rolando Vargas
On goals…
"Obviously, the goal is to prepare for the conference matches, and it is not going to be easy, but we are in the right direction. Players will have to put in the effort and play to the best of their abilities. Our goal is to do better than last year, to go further in the conference tournament. Stay together as a team and fight together. I think that's what makes Troy unique. The way everybody supports each and the relationships players have."
On non-conference schedule…
"We have a very competitive schedule, and we are playing some teams, that have much respect. We are going to play the teams, that have been ranked before and their conferences are one of the best in NCAA DII. So, we need to come out strong and take the initiative. It is all going to start with leadership and preparation. We are excited to put Troy on the map and give our one hundred percent effort."
For more information on Troy men's tennis, follow along on Twitter and Instagram at @TroyTrojansMT.
Players Mentioned
