BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University men's tennis team opens the 2016 spring schedule on the road Tuesday against No. 12 Texas. The Cardinals enter the new season looking to build on the momentum from last season's 14-11 (. 560) campaign that saw them finish second in the Southland and just miss a trip to the NCAA Championships as a team – Feucht and Lis qualified for the 2015 NCAA Doubles Championships.
A top-10 team last season, the Longhorns open a new year following a 21-7 campaign that saw them advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season. Tuesday will serve as the season-opening date for both the Cards and Longhorns, but UT will face Abilene Christian six hours prior to the start of the match with LU.
Tuesday kicks off a grueling three-match road swing to start the 2016 season for LU that will have the Red and White traveling to Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas A&M before returning home Sunday, Jan. 24th for a doubleheader against Alcorn State.
The Cardinals have a veteran lineup that consists of six upperclassmen, including two seniors and four juniors. Led by one of the strongest doubles' teams in the country, juniors
Michael Feucht and
Nikita Lis qualified for a berth in the NCAA Championships last season and entered the fall season ranked as high as 22
nd nationally. The duo also advanced to play in the ITA All-American Championships both as a doubles team, and in singles competition last October.
Four days after opening the season against the 'Horns, LU will travel east to square off against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Saturday afternoon match against the Ragin' Cajuns is slated to begin at 1 p.m. from the Cajun Courts. It will serve as the season opener for UL-Lafayette as well.
The Cardinals will close out the three-match road swing Sunday, Jan. 17 in College Station, Texas against the No. 5-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Although the Aggies will be kicking off the season Sunday, their official opener will come at noon against UTSA. LU is slated for a 4 p.m. start against Texas A&M.
-LU CARDINALS-
