Follow @EKU_Tennis on Twitter! 
Live Scoring vs. Tennessee

RICHMOND, Ky.  – After a narrow 4-3 loss in the championship match of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament in May, the EKU men's tennis team will kick off the 2017 season this weekend at the University of Tennessee in pursuit of its fifth OVC crown.
 
The Colonels will vie for their fifth OVC title under head coach Rob Oertel and Oertel's club has, again, assembled a deep and talented roster.
 
"I have added five new players in January to our rosters," Oertel said. "Adding new blood to the program in January always injects a new level of optimism. We are all very excited to get started on another eventful season."
 
Junior Ramon van Flymen and sophomore Guillem Sanchis picked up All-OVC honors last season under Oertel. Van Flymen posted a 5-3 mark in conference singles play during his sophomore campaign. Meanwhile, Sanchis went 6-3 for the Colonels in singles action.
 
Eastern Kentucky will have to replace four-time All-OVC selection Alex Álvaro. Álvaro rolled through conference play last season, finishing with an unblemished 9-0 record in conference play.
 
In doubles play, van Flymen and Álvaro defeated the 15th ranked duo from the University of Virginia, before earning a No. 58 ranking from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The ranking was the first of its kind for the EKU program. The duo made an appearance at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma in May.
 
EKU also returns veteran Diego Asis who went 4-4 in league doubles play, along with senior Sebastian Mueller. Mueller posted a 5-3 record in OVC play and 7-4 overall at the No. 4 singles spot. Fellow senior Colin Hart will add depth to the Colonels' roster. Hart tallied an impressive 9-2 record in singles play his junior season.
 
For the spring, Oertel and company have added four new faces to the men's team in sophomore Jan Kuehling (Meerbusch, Germany), and freshmen Parth Aggarwal (New Delhi, India), Nicolas Castaldo (Aix-en-Provence, France), and Josh Piunti (Gold Coast, Australia).
 
As demonstrated in recent years, the Colonels will take on several noteworthy opponents to open the spring season, kicking off the 2017 season against Southeastern Conference's University of Tennessee and University of Kentucky.
 
Following the trip to nearby Lexington, the Colonels host perennially ranked Lindsey Wilson College Jan. 27 at the Greg Adams Tennis Center for the first of nine consecutive home matches. EKU posted a flawless 12-0 record at home last season.
 
After returning from a spring break trip to Florida, EKU will conclude non-conference play at Northern Kentucky University, before hosting Jacksonville State University for the OVC opener March 31.

The Colonels close out the conference slate at Austin Peay before the OVC Tournament in Nashville April 21-23.
 
"Our ultimate goal has stayed the same," Oertel added. "We're shooting to win two OVC Tournament titles and securing the automatic berth to the NCAAs."