Men's Tennis Begins Fall Season This Weekend

Sept. 25, 2014

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Michigan State men's tennis team will send two players to compete at the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The tournament begins Saturday, Sept. 27.

Junior John Patrick Mullane, and sophomore Brett Forman will represent the Spartans in Tulsa, and will begin competition in the prequalifying rounds on Sept. 27-28. The main qualifying will take place Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, and the main draw will be Oct. 2-6.

Mullane, a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore, will be competing in the tournament for a second-straight year, after posting an 11-9 record last season in singles matches, including a 7-4 mark in Big Ten play. Forman compiled a 19-11 overall singles record last season, with a 5-6 campaign in Big Ten play. He was named the Frank Beeman Most Valuable Player for MSU in 2013-2014.

The ITA All-American Championships will feature a number of the top players from around the country. The top 32 players, based off of last year's rankings, receive an invitation to compete.

"It's a premier tournament in the fall," said head coach Gene Orlando. "It's more or less a Grand Slam tournament - the best players in the country will be there. It's a great chance for JP and Brett to represent the Spartans and make a solid run."

The rest of the team will head to Kalamazoo to compete in the Vredevelt Invite on Sept. 26 - Sept. 28. The weekend schedule includes three rounds of doubles on Friday starting at 3 p.m., two rounds of singles on Saturday at 9:30 a.m., and the last round of singles on Sunday at 8:30 a.m.

"It's an opportunity for all of our guys to get ready and sharpen their skills," Orlando said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to get better and help us compete for the upcoming season."

For more information on the ITA All-American Championships, visit www.itatennis.com.