BREVARD, N.C. - Brevard College Men's tennis team is prepping for its spring season, which is set to begin February 4, at Southern Wesleyan.
Coach Evan Schreiner returns for his second season coaching both the men's and women's teams. Schreiner has been pleased with the hard work the men have shown throughout the fall and preseason.
Brevard was picked 12th in the preseason men's polls. Queens University is sitting at the top of the rankings, receiving 135 points. Wingate was picked second with 125 points, and rounding out the top-three schools is Tusculum with 107 points.
The Tornados saw success in their fall season, defeating fellow SAC member Mars Hill, 7-2 for Brevard's first conference win since 2011-12.
"Our men's team has great potential. They are putting in an incredible amount of work this spring, and we believe this will show results during the season," said Schreiner.
The men's team is a young squad this year, and are led by lone senior, Christoph Plasa (Wegberg, Germany). Plasa has played all four years for Brevard, and last season finished with a 5-19 overall record in singles play and went 1-1 at Brevard's top doubles position. The Wegber, Germany native won the only South Atlantic Conference singles match at the fourth slot, against Wingate on Feb. 26 last season.
Tim Hengst (Menden, Germany) and Tom Mittring (Bavaria, Germany) return for their sophomore campaigns. Mittring posted an 8-16 record last season in singles play and a 7-16 in doubles. Hengst earned a win over Mars Hill's Blake Covington in the fall at the four slot.
"With three players returning from last year's team, we can count on their excellent core leadership," said coach Schreiner. "All have put in the fitness training outside practice that has enabled them to step up their game. With more on-court time upcoming, I am confident that their improvement will continue."
Coach Schreiner adds three new faces to his roster this season. Will Christiansen (Crawford, Miss.) had a successful fall campaign earning his first win at Belmont Abbey with a 6-4 score in the opening frame and a 6-1 in the final set. J.R. Davis (Hixon, Tenn.) and Cre Still (Hendersonville, N.C.) round out the freshman class and will be called to make an impact this season.
"Our three incoming freshmen all have hefty exposure to the USTA circuit, and join us with high state rankings," stated Schreiner. "I am impressed with their hard work and enthusiasm for our program. It's exciting to envision the solid level of play they can offer in their first year."
The men will open up on Feb. 4, at Southern Wesleyan, and then enter into conference play the next day at Coker College. The first home match of the season will be on Feb. 11 against Lincoln Memorial starting at 1 p.m.
Preseason Conference Rankings
- Queens - 135
- Wingate - 125
- Tusculum - 107
- Newberry - 96
- Anderson - 92
- Lincoln Memorial - 73
- Lenoir-Rhyne - 67
- Coker - 66
- Catawba - 55
- Carson-Newman - 52
- Mars Hill - 38
- Brevard - 22