Men's Tennis Opens Fall with Frank Beeman Invitational

Sept. 17, 2009

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's tennis team will open its fall season as it hosts the inaugural Frank Beeman Invitational Friday-Sunday, Sept. 18-20. All matches will be contested at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts, with matches slated to begin at 2:30 p.m., on Friday, and 9 a.m., on both Saturday and Sunday. The Invitational will include participants from Detroit, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Wright State and Youngstown State. The Invitational will be contested in a compass draw, non-elimination format.

Head coach Gene Orlando enters his 19th year at the helm of the men's program. After finishing the season with a record of 12-14, the Spartans will look to build upon that as they prepare for the 2009-10 season.

Orlando will rely on his six returnees of last season, while also looking for contributions from his four newcomers. The Spartans will look for leadership from the top, relying on their two returning seniors, Jason Norville and Brendan Kinkopf. Kinkopf finished the 2008-09 season with a singles record of 9-3 during spring action, while Norville recorded 14 overall doubles wins. Adding depth to the lineup are juniors John Stratton and Clark Richardson along with sophomores Ronnie Hulewicz and Austin Brooks. Combined, the juniors accounted for 20 singles wins, while the sophomores contributed another 46.

Joining the Spartans this season will be freshman Denis Bogatov, Will Davis and Christian Roehmer. While senior Joe Vallee joins the MSU roster as a transfer from Ball State.

Frank Beeman was head coach of the Michigan State men's tennis program for nine seasons, from 1948-1951 and 1953-1957. During his time as head coach, Beeman led MSU to its first Big Ten title in 1951. A great friend, and mentor to the MSU men's tennis program and University, Beeman's presence is strong and continues to grow. In his honor, the Frank Beeman Endowment was established in 2004 and quickly grew to be the largest endowed fund out of all men's sports at MSU.

For daily results from this weekends action, please visit www.msuspartans.com.