Men's Tennis Set To Open Season At Ball State
9/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Sept. 21, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men?s tennis team is set to open what hopes to be an exciting season for the squad when it travels to compete in the Ball State Invitational, September 24-26. The Spartans finished last season with an overall record of 9-12 while finishing 5-5 in the Big Ten. MSU is coached by Gene Orlando who is entering his ninth year at the helm of the Spartans. He holds a 90-101 record at Michigan State.
The Spartans will be without their No. 1 doubles team of seniors Ken Kigongo and Francisco Trinidad as they will be competing in the prestigious T. Rowe Price National Intercollegiate Clay Court Championships held in Baltimore, Md. Kigongo and Trinidad enter the season as the 12th-ranked duo in the nation. Because of their high ranking, they received an automatic berth into the main draw with matches taking place September 23-26.
The most prestigious tournament of the year, the T. Rowe Price National Clay Court Championships consists of a 32-team doubles draw. The addition of the T. Rowe Price National Clay Court Championships to the ITA?s national tournament calendar in 1986 completed the collegiate grand slam. Following the clay court championships are the ITA/Reebok Men?s All-American Championships, Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships and the NCAA Championships. Similar to its professional counterpart, the ITA Collegiate Grand Slam is played on three different surfaces: clay, hardcourt and indoor - for both men and women.
Following this weekend?s action, Michigan State will travel to Charlottesville, Va, to face the University of Virginia on September 27. MSU has its first home action of the season October 15-17 when it hosts the Advantage Spartan Invitational. The Spartans will also be the host school for this year?s Big Ten Indoor Championships on January 15-17.
