Ashland University's men's tennis team will play host to matches for the first time since 1995.
Matches against Findlay and Walsh will be played starting at 11 a.m. on Friday (Oct. 12), 11:30 a.m. on Saturday (Oct. 13), and Sunday as a potential rain day.
The hidden duals will give the men their last chance at competition before their championship season begins in February.
"The fall for the men in our preseason non-championship season is all about individual play and making sure our team is doing their best to prepare themselves for our championship season," said Ashland Director of Tennis Operations Lexi Bolesky. "With our practice and weightlifting this semester, plus the opportunities we had to compete, we're just hoping to play our best tennis of the fall."
Walsh comes to Ashland with an 0-2 record in fall play, having most recently competed at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regionals. Findlay boasts a 2-0 record this fall, as the Oilers come to play at the Deborah Liebert Karl Tennis Complex having earned wins over Ohio Northern and Oberlin. Both will offer good competition for the Eagles as they tune up for the spring.
"It's absolutely going to be a competitive tournament," said Bolesky. "We're going to get competitive matches across the board, and we're really going to be challenged. Whenever you compete, you want somebody who is going to challenge you, and that's what we are going to see this weekend."
The Eagles will be rounding out a fall season that has been a great chance to improve and will be important moving forward.
"The fall is huge, because it's where you build team culture and team chemistry," said Bolesky.
Ashland's men will begin their spring season on Saturday (Feb. 2) against Hillsdale at 2 p.m. at the Lakewood Racquet Club in Lexington, Ohio.
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