Men's Tennis Trip South Opens with Match at #9 North Carolina on Saturday

Setting the Scene
• Bucknell men's tennis opens the season with a five-match trip to Chapel Hill, North Carolina this weekend, plus one addition match in Richmond, Virginia. The first match of the season is against No. 9 North Carolina on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Tar Heels have two nationally-ranked singles players and one nationally-ranked doubles team.

Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 14
at No. 9 North Carolina, 10 a.m. (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
vs. Wofford, 12:30 p.m. (Chapel Hill, N.C.)

Sunday, Jan. 15
vs. Campbell, Noon (Chapel Hill, N.C.)

Monday, Jan. 16
vs. UNCG, 9 a.m. (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
vs. Richmond, 4 p.m. (Richmond, Va. – at VCU)

About the Bison
• Bucknell returns all but one player from a team that went 14-13 overall and 2-3 in Patriot League matches last season. The Bison went on to beat Boston University in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament before dropping a close match to Army West Point in the semifinals.
• With the graduation of the most successful player in program history, Nick Bybel, junior Daniel Wright will step up to No. 1 singles this season. He went 16-7 last spring, including a 12-5 record at No. 2 and a 2-1 mark at No. 1.
• Sophomore Andrei Vitiuc also had a winning record last spring, going 13-11 while competing between No. 3-5 singles.
• The Bison had numerous players post solid records this past fall, including freshman Max McDonald with a record of 8-2. Other notable records included junior Max Kane (7-2), junior Timber Erskine (8-3), and Wright (7-3).
• Erskine's father, Ron Erskine, is a North Carolina men's tennis alum.
• Bucknell will have another North Carolina tie, as junior Ben Gerber is from Chapel Hill. The junior ranks 23^rd all-time in doubles wins at Bucknell with a record of 41-28.
• The Patriot League released its annual preseason poll this week. Bucknell was picked sixth with 66 points. Army West Point was the unanimous pick to win the league with 16 first-place and 128 points, while Navy received two first-place votes and was second with 114 points. Boston University (97), Lehigh (81), and Colgate (72) were third through fifth, while Loyola (42), Lafayette (32), and Holy Cross (16) were seventh through ninth.

Scouting the Opponents
• North Carolina – The Tar Heels are ranked ninth in the nation after advancing to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament last year. Individually, Ronnie Schneider is ranked 38^th and Joshua Peck is 57^th.
• Wofford – Wofford went 10-13 overall and 3-4 in the Southern Conference last season. The Terriers lost to top-seeded ETSU 4-0 in the semifinal round of the league tournament. Haris Poric was a First Team All-SoCon selection.
• Campbell – The Camels were picked third in the Big South this season after 8-14 overall and 3-5 in the conference last season. They lost to Presbyterian in the quarterfinal round of the league tournament. Lukas Schaefer and Gerard Sola were All-Big South selections.
• UNCG – The Spartans went 9-13 overall and 2-5 in the Southern Conference last season. They lost to third-seeded Furman in the quarterfinal round of the SoCon Tournament. Warren Bryan was voted Second Team All-SoCon.
• Richmond – The Spiders went 14-11 overall and 5-2 in the Atlantic 10 last season. They fell to George Washington in the semifinal round of the league tournament. Senior Jacob Dunbar is ranked 52^nd in the nation, the highest ranking in the history of the Richmond program.

Up Next
• The Bison will have more than a two-week break before playing against Cleveland State in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Feb. 3, and against La Salle in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Feb. 4.