CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel men's tennis team hits the road for the first two dual matches of the season this weekend as they travel to Auburn on Friday and North Carolina State on Sunday.
 
The Bulldogs will take on Auburn twice on Friday, first at 11 a.m. then at 5 p.m. at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. This will be the season opener for the No. 61 Tigers who return Maxime Hinnisdaels, the No. 96 player in the country and Marko Krickovic who is currently ranked No. 100.
 
North Carolina State boasts one of the top doubles combinations in the region as Nick Horton and Ian Dempster are currently ranked No. 2 in the ITA's Carolina rankings. Horton is also ranked No. 14 in the singles Carolina rankings along with Simon Norenius who currently sits at No. 20. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m.
 
The lineup for the Bulldogs is still in limbo as Artemie Amari and Matthew Henson battle for the No. 1 spot. Head coach Chuck Kriese expects to have three freshmen in the hunt for a spot in the lineup as well as Connor Grady and Joe Bove. Lone senior Jackson Pride is also expected to secure a spot in the middle of the lineup.
 
"This is the first team I've had where we have great competition all spots on the team," Coach Kriese said. "We're glad we have young players and their enthusiasm but we are also glad to have Jackson who provides leadership and experience. This team is young and hungry and we once again have one of the top schedules in the south. We will continue to do this as we continue to build this program with very strong objectives."
 
Live stats will be available for both matches and results for the contests will be available at CitadelSports.com after each is complete.
 
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