INDIANAPOLIS – Coming off of a weekend in which it played four matches in two days, which included two wins to close out the weekend, the IUPUI men’s tennis team prepares for a another action-filled weekend beginning on Friday, Feb. 24, when it welcomes Bradley to West Indy Racquet Club for a 6:30 p.m. start.
Following Friday’s home match, the Jaguars make their way to the state of Ohio, where it will take on the Toledo Rockets on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 3:30 p.m., before closing out the weekend in Anderson Township, Ohio, against the Xavier Musketeers on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 10 a.m.
“Last weekend was an extremely tough weekend competing on the road with four matches in two days, and we expect the same this weekend,” said head coach
Brandon Currie. “The matches were scheduled in this manner to prepare us for the tough situations ahead. It is our goal to win a conference title and to do that, we have to deal with adversity and tough situations along the way. This year we have a deep team with a lot of guys able to step up and contribute, which gives us an opportunity to play multiple matches in a weekend.”
Deon Shafer is one of those guys who have stepped up as of late, and last weekend he led IUPUI going a perfect 3-0 in singles play, before teaming up with
Thomas Gans to go 4-0 in doubles action at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots.
For his performances last weekend, Shafer was named the Summit League Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
“We are thrilled with Deon being named Summit League Player of the week. He has stepped up since day one as one of our team captains, and the team is definitely fueled by his passion and fire for competition,” Currie said. “For the first time in my tenure as head coach at IUPUI, I feel we have a lineup where guys can play in several positions and be successful because of our depth. Deon is definitely a spark plug for our team and he is able to raise everyone’s energy level during competition.”
Bradley comes to Indianapolis with a 3-7 record overall and will take on both Butler and IUPUI on Friday, Feb. 24, beginning with a match against the Bulldogs at Noon.
The Rockets are in the midst of a seven-match homestand and own an 8-6 record going into the weekend, while Xavier has won three of its last four matches to improve to 4-6.
“All three matches this weekend will be extremely tough. We are competing against three established mid-major programs with great coaching staffs and players,” Currie added. “We look forward to the challenge and opportunity, and feel we have a great chance of performing at a high level and being successful.”
