Titan mens tennis team ready to compete in first season

The Eastern Florida State College men's tennis team is looking to make a splash in its first season.

The Titans are coming off a strong showing in the fall and are ranked No. 10 in the ITA Junior Community College men's tennis preseason rankings. Samir Chikhaoui is a preseason All-American after winning the Division II Panther Invitational in September. Jesus Amezcua and Eduardo Garcia are also both ranked in the top 50 in the nation in singles.

"The first season in school history for Men's Tennis is setting up to be a thriller. We have a great group of high-character guys who just posted one of the best team GPA's in the country at 3.50. I am looking forward to them proving equally as adept on the tennis court," Eastern Florida State College men's tennis coach Jerry Thor said. "I know our new fans in the community really enjoyed seeing them win the Panther Invite live in Melbourne this Fall and can expect more of the same big-serving, hard-hitting tennis from the Titans this Spring."

The men's team will play 22 matches this spring with nine against nationally-ranked junior college opponents. The 12 matches against NCAA and NAIA university opponents is highlighted by a matchup with NCAA Division II national runner-up St. Leo University. The Titans will also play Embry-Riddle, who is also a top 10 team in Division II.

The team opens the season Jan. 27 at Ave Maria University for a 1:30 p.m. match. The home opener for the men's team will be Feb. 7 against Keiser University's JV team.