BABSON PARK, Fla. (January 21, 2020) – The Webber International University men's and women's tennis teams are set to open up their respective 2020 seasons starting on Wednesday, January 22, with what is also their Sun Conference opener at the College of Coastal Georgia, which finished last season ranked No. 19 in the NAIA on the men's side.

Webber will not play at home in the regular season until Saturday, February 15, when the Warriors host Keiser University, which finished 2019 ranked No. 2 on the women's side and No. 7 on the men's.

Webber's two rivalry matches during TSC play will come on Friday, February 19, at home against Warner University, and then on Wednesday, February 26, on the road at Southeastern University, which finished last season ranked No. 22 on the women's side.

The Warriors' final home match currently on the schedule is against Florida National University on Wednesday, March 25, nearly an entire month before The Sun Conference Tournament which is set for Thursday, April 23, and Friday, April 24, back up north in Brunswick, Georgia, where they will play tomorrow.

Head Tennis Coach Otis Cutshaw said, "Our schedule this year is full of matches that will test our abilities. I try to play a full schedule of matches to make sure that we will be ready for the conference tournament. We still have a few dates open that I hope to fill in April so there will not be as much time off between our last match and the conference tournament when it is all said and done." 

Back during the 2019 season, the Warriors' second year under the direction of Coach Cutshaw, both of the Webber men's and women's tennis squads finished the season receiving votes in the national coaches' poll and advanced to The Sun Conference Tournament as the No. 4 seed to play top-seeded Keiser University in the semifinals. The Webber women's tennis team (8-10, 4-3) started its season 4-1 in the conference and advanced to the postseason for the first time in seven seasons (2011-12) while the men's team (10-9, 4-3) started 3-2 in conference, reached the 10-win mark overall for the first time since 2014 and went to the postseason for the first time in four seasons (2014-15).

"Our overall expectations are to continue to grow this program into a contender for The Sun Conference title," said Cutshaw. "We tasted success last year with both the men's and women's teams, and we hope to continue feeding off that."

Key returners to the Warriors on the men's side in 2020 include seniors Ivan Bondarenko and Matthew Alexander and juniors Kyle Hall and Marc Schneider. Bondarenko went 10-8 last season and was named Second-Team All-Sun Conference; however, key losses from last year's team on the men's side include all-conference players Hugo Hasegawa and Tare Mariga.

Key returners on the women's side for Webber include senior Jenna Fosdick and juniors Isabelle Niehoff and Svenja Koenig. All three ladies will be entering their third years as starters for the Warriors.

"Having key returners to your program is great because it provides leadership and wisdom for the new players to learn from within," continued Cutshaw. "With most of my returners entering their third year here with me, they will know what to expect from our opponents in The Sun Conference. These players know what I expect from them and know how the routine goes."

The newcomers for the Warriors in 2020 are graduate student Cyrille De Hollain and freshman Jose Cordero on the men's side and freshmen Lily-Rose Rochat and Cheyenne Cannor on the women's side.

"I am always excited for the new players that join our program to see what they will have to offer and what they can do out on the court," added Cutshaw. "We look forward to them competing and representing Webber International University."

We hope to see you out and around the tennis courts in 2020 as the Warriors return to action looking to make back-to-back appearances in the postseason.

Cutshaw concluded, "We're excited to start our dual match season after finishing strong during our fall tournament segment. Every year brings a new opportunity to compete and play for a title and you never know what is going to happen until you go out and play the matches."