MSU tennis opens their season Friday at home – WILX

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – 22nd ranked Men’s Tennis will kick off the season with a home doubleheader Friday; a 2 p.m. affair with Western Michigan prior to taking on Brown at 6 p.m. at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.

Multiple Spartans will be making their official debuts in the Green and White Friday. Ronald Hohmann III and Sebastien Collard are experienced graduate transfers where they were the No. 1s at LSU and Southern Alabama respectively. Appearing in their first ever collegiate matches are redshirt freshman Aristotelis Thanos of Greece and Syrian true freshman Taym Alazmeh.

In the fall season, Hohmann and Collard contributed to what was an all-around historically successful fall 2023 for Michigan State Men’s Tennis.

Fall Competition Accolades

• 20 total ranked wins
• 7 wins over top-25 opponents
• 15 ranked singles wins between 4 players
• 3 Doubles Titles
• ITA Fall National Championships Doubles Title (Sheldon/Baris, Nov. 5)
• Milwaukee Tennis Classic Doubles Title (Sheldon/Collard, Sep. 24)
• Gamecock Ranked Invite Doubles Title (Baris/Hohmann, Sep. 17)
• Battle in the Bay Singles Title & Runner-Up (Baris & Hohmann, Sep. 24)
• ITA All-American Championships Singles Semifinalist (Baris, Oct. 7)

Beginning the Season with Historic Rankings

Entering the season, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association slotted MSU as the No. 24 team in the nation in the preseason rankings, the first time in program history the Spartans have been named inside the top 25 since the ITA began compiling rankings in 1981. In the first update to the rankings Wednesday, without having played a match, MSU was bumped up to No. 22.

Not only is the No. 22 team ranking a program-best but entering the season a national-high eight Spartans are ranked in the ITA’s singles and doubles rankings. The four ranked doubles teams is also tied for the most in the country from one program.

The No. 2 ranking for Max Sheldon and Ozan Baris, who are fresh off the program’s first national title at the ITA Fall National Championships in early November, is the highest ever for a Spartan duo. Baris and Hohmann’s No. 6 and No. 12 singles rankings are also MSU-best individual rankings.

Spartans in ITA DI Men’s Tennis Rankings

Singles

• No. 6 – Ozan Baris
• No. 12 – Ronald Hohmann III
• No. 59 – Max Sheldon
• No. 116 – Graydon Lair

Doubles

• No. 2 – Max Sheldon/Ozan Baris
• No. 29 – Sebastien Collard/Max Sheldon
• No. 41 – Ozan Baris/Ronald Hohmann III
• No. 45 ­– Ronald Hohmann III/Sebastien Collard

Scouting Western Michigan

Western Michigan enters the season 1-0 after having taken down Ferris State 6-1 on Wednesday. The Broncos are the defending MAC regular season champions of three years running, having won the title in six of the last eight years.

Series History vs. Western Michigan

The Spartans have more wins against Western Michigan than any other program MSU has faced with a record of 62-34, 41-13 at home. Last season, Michigan State took down Western Michigan 4-2 on March 3 at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.

Scouting Brown

Brown comes to East Lansing with an 0-2 record, having lost to ACC programs Clemson and Georgia Tech 1-6 on the road last weekend. The Bears have not had an overall winning season since 2018 and have not finished over .500 in the Ivy League since 2009, going 0-7 last season.

Series History vs. Brown

MSU is 1-3 all-time against Brown, 1-2 at home. Last season the Spartans defeated the Bears 4-1 almost exactly a year prior on January 21 at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.

Spectator Info

• Admission is free to all spectators
• Plan to arrive early for our new player introductions as we light up court one
• Pizza House will be available as a concession during the 6 p.m. match vs. Brown
• In honor of Cheryl Hall, we will share her tradition – gifting banana bread. Arrive early prior to the 6 p.m. match vs. Brown for this tasty giveaway while supplies last

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