COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – While the Ohio Valley Conference title may not be on the line for the Tennessee Tech men's tennis team as they enter the fall portion of their schedule, it's just as important for the Golden Eagles as they take on some of their toughest foes of the year.

 

"It's a very tough schedule," said Tech tennis head coach Kenny Doyle. "But it's tough for a reason. This is the time of year where we make a lot of our tune-ups and learn how our guys are capable of playing before we get set for conference play in the spring.

 

"The teams we face now gets us ready to make another run at the championship and we grow so much from these tournaments."

 

The Tech tennis team opens up on September 23-26 as they head to the Southern Intercollegiate Championship at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga.

 

October could be a busy month for the Golden Eagles as they compete in several Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American events. Pre-qualifying will be held on October 1-2, followed by the qualifying rounds on Oct. 3-4 and the main draw on Oct. 6-10. That tournament is held at the University of Tulsa.

 

Golden Eagle standout Eduardo Mena has already qualified by virtue of his No. 93-ranking in the fall's ITA poll, while the rest of the Tech squad will be able to play into the tournament.

 

Tech will follow that up with an appearance in the Oracle ITA Masters event on Oct. 13-16 at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., then close out the month at the ITA regional championships at the University of Tennessee on Oct. 20-24.

 

In November, the Golden Eagles will try to earn a berth in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, NY from Nov. 3-6.

 

Tech also has two other tournaments scheduled for that same weekend as it could have members at the Bulldog Scramble at the University of Georgia, as well as the CCB Collegiate Invitational, hosted by the University of Alabama at the Country Club of Birmingham.