CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel tennis team will play three matches over two days this weekend in the USC Sumter Invitational. The Bulldogs will open the weekend on Saturday, Feb. 1 by taking on Benedict (9:30 a.m.) and Southern Wesleyan (1 p.m.). The 'Dogs will then close out their time in Sumter with a 10 a.m. match against USC Sumter on Sunday, Feb. 2.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs dropped a pair of matches by similar 7-0 scores on Jan. 26 in the Upstate. The Bulldogs started the day off at 9 a.m. with a match against Georgia Southern and then closed a long day out at 6 p.m. with a match against Clemson.

CHASING NO. 730
Head coach Chuck Kriese boasts 729 career wins. He accumulated 685 at Clemson and boasts 44 in his seven seasons at The Citadel.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Saturday's match in Sumter will mark the season opener for Benedict. Last season, the Tigers went 12-10 led by Julius Mutetwa's 10-6 record in singles play. Mutetwa returns this season as one of three seniors, including Taj Ballantyne and Armando Flores. Nikola Aleksic is the lone junior and the Tigers feature two sophomores and a freshman.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
The Warriors will open the season Saturday against the Bulldogs before taking on Benedict later that day. Southern Wesleyan went 3-14 last season. The Warriors boast a very young roster that includes five freshman and one sophomore compared to two juniors. Juniors Peter Kovats and Joseph Olatunji are the leading returners along with sophomore Sarvesh Maria.

SCOUTING THE FIRE ANTS
USC Sumter opens the season Saturday against Anderson. The Fire Ants boast eight freshmen and five sophomores on the roster.

UP NEXT
Next weekend, the Bulldogs will play four matches over three days. The Citadel will first travel to Auburn, Alabama to take on Point and Auburn on Friday, Feb. 7. The 'Dogs will then return to Charleston, stopping in Atlanta, Georgia to face Georgia Gwinnett and Georgia Tech on Sunday, Feb. 9.

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