WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The IUPUI men's tennis team will begin the spring season on Saturday (Jan. 16) as the Jaguars are slated to take on both Purdue and Chicago State in dual matches. The Jaguars will open at Purdue on Saturday morning before returning home to host Chicago State at 6:30 p.m. at West Indy Racquet Club. Head Coach Brandon Currie's squad was recently picked third in The Summit League preseason polls and returns a strong cast from a season ago.

Sophomores Jac Newis and David Beasley and junior Jose Calero are all coming off seasons in which they collected double-digit singles wins. Beasley went 14-9 in duals, winning 13 times at No. 4 singles while Calero won 11 times, primarily at the bottom of the lineup. Newis was the Jaguars' primary No. 1 player a year ago, playing 21 of the team's 27 matches at the top spot.

Junior Marcus Nalley also returns, having won seven singles matches a year ago, two of which came in Summit League play. The cast of newcomers includes Idaho-native Kyle Whittaker and Mexico City-native Mikel Saavedra.

"This will be a good test for us to start the season. Purdue has a good program and will show us where we stand," Currie said. "The guys are ready. They've been working hard and working on their games. They're just ready to go."

The Jags lost at Purdue last season, 6-1, with Nalley collecting the lone point with a victory at No. 5 singles. IUPUI won the most recent meeting with Chicago State, defeating the Cougars 6-1 on Apr. 6, 2014 in the Windy City.