WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University men's tennis team is set to begin its 2021 season on Saturday, March 20 as head coach Victor Terranova begins his third season guiding the program.

The Colonels were 1-3 overall last spring before the pandemic halted play with 13 matches still on the schedule. This season Wilkes will play 10 matches including seven Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) matchups. Wilkes is looking for its 13th consecutive conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, a streak that runs from 2008-2019.

"My main concern is the culture of the program and how the student athletes appreciate this time that they have been given together," Terranova said. "We want to increase our tennis IQ, increase our skill sets, increase our fitness levels and increase our program culture. Having the players remember there is more to college tennis than just competing is something very powerful as they approach their time to graduate and enter the real world."

The 2021 team is made up of 10 players with three seniors, one junior and six first-year student-athletes. Jack Maline (Colorado Springs, CO/Northport), Colin Greenman (Glen Gardner, NJ/Voorhees), and Matt Angara (Stewartsville, NJ/Phillipsburg) make up the senior class for the Colonels. Maline was the No. 5 singles champion two seasons ago at the MAC Individual Championships and Greenman was the No. 7 singles title winner at the same event. Connor Murphy (Denver, PA/Cocalico) is the junior for the Colonels this season.

"I am excited about all the players," Terranova said when asked about his returners. "I think there is a great group of men that have been excited to spend a lot of time with one another where their main priority has been to focus on their relationships with their teammates on and off the court.  They are ready to leave their stamp on the program and turn us in a direction that could have lasting results."

Jacob Bosler (Elkton, MD/Elkton), Drew Fielder, Cole Gibson (Pinecrest, FL/Miami Palmetto Senior), Jonah Nguyen (Enola, PA/East Pennsboro Area), Dominick Rizzo (Dallas, PA/Dallas Senior), and John Toussaint (Dallas, PA/Dallas Senior) make up the first-year class.

"I think we have a great group of newcomers on the team that have enhanced the returner's experience," Terranova said. "We are really beginning to have championship level culture and this group of freshman are buying into a system and culture that will allow for us to take huge steps forward. It's pretty amazing the way they hold upperclassman accountable for their actions but also have fit right into the returners mold."

Wilkes will open play at Kirby Park visiting King's College in a non-conference match at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Colonels then travel to Messiah College on Saturday, March 27 and open home play at the Ralston Athletic Complex on Friday, April 2 against York College of Pennsylvania in non-conference contests.

Running from Saturday, April 10 through Saturday, May 1 the Colonels are slated to play seven MAC Freedom matches. Three new teams join the conference since the last time there were MAC Freedom matches in 2019 and the additions will increase the competition level.

"The additions to the conference are Arcadia who is led by a seasoned coach which knows what it takes to do things in a professional manner. Arcadia will be a class act and one that we need to be prepared for," Terranova said. "Lycoming just graduated some players that were in the lineup for a lot of their career and replacing them might be challenging. Stevens is nationally ranked on the men's side and they have only gotten better since last season. We will need to play flawless tennis and have some luck on our side to finish in the top spot."

The Colonels MAC Freedom slate starts at Lycoming College (April 10), and then runs home against King's College (April 13), home against Arcadia University (April 17), at DeSales University (April 21), home against Misericordia University (April 24), and home against both FDU-Florham and Stevens (May 1). The Colonels will host FDU-Florham at the Kirby Park Courts at 9:00 a.m. and then face Stevens at the Ralston Athletic Complex at 1:30 p.m. for the doubleheader day to close out the regular season.

Quarterfinal play in the MAC Freedom Team Championship will be played on May 3rd followed by the Semifinals on May 5th. The Final is set to be held on May 8th with the winner receiving the MAC Freedom automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.