Jan. 18, 2008

Milwaukee - The Marquette University men's tennis team opens the dual match portion of its 2007-08 campaign on Saturday when the squad hosts UIC and IUPUI at the Helfaer Tennis & Recreation Center.

The Golden Eagles welcome the Flames to Milwaukee at 10 a.m. and will face the Jaguars at 4 p.m. in the non-conference doubleheader. MU defeated UIC 5-2 at home last season and downed IUPUI 6-1 on the road in 2006-07.

"The guys have worked hard over the break and came back to school in really good shape, which is always a concern with our first matches so soon into the semester," head coach Steve Rodecap said. "The team has really committed to getting better on a daily basis and prepared all fall for the dual match season."

Sophomores Dusan Medan and Mark Rutherford paced the squad with 14 and 10 singles victories, respectively, in the fall. Seven of the nine players on the roster currently own singles marks of .500-or-better, posting an overall record of 70-53 as a team.

Rutherford and senior Brett Binkley led the team with a 14-4 doubles record and the Golden Eagles combined to earn a 36-17 mark overall.

"We are really looking forward to getting started," Rodecap said. "Both opponents Saturday are well coached and will be ready, so we need prepared for the challenge."

Marquette posted a 14-8 overall record in 2006-07 and finished fifth in the BIG EAST Conference Championship.