Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s tennis is set to kick off the 2021 season with a pair of matches against in-state foes; the Governors will open the season when they host an 11:30am, Friday, January 29th match against Lipscomb in Evansville, Indiana, before playing a 12:00pm, Sunday, January 31st match against Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro.
The Governors return the majority of their roster from last season, led by Christian Edison, who was ranked as the No. 10 player in the Ohio Valley Conference’s preseason player rankings.
Edison led the Govs with 10 singles wins across the fall and spring last season and played exclusively in the No. 1 singles position during the spring.
Junior Anton Damberg spent the majority of last season in the No. 2 singles position, where he picked up four wins during the spring. Damberg also filled in on the No. 1 singles line twice and picked up a win in his two outings. The Gagnef, Sweden, native also led the Governors with 13 doubles wins across the fall and spring campaigns.
Oliver Anderson occupied the Govs No. 4 singles position for the majority of last spring, where he picked up five wins. Jacob Lorino played almost entirely in the No. 5 singles position for the Governors last spring, where he picked up a team-high six wins during Austin Peay’s dual matches.
Clarksville-native Thiago Nogueira played exclusively in the No. 6 singles position last season, where he picked up a pair of wins in his first season as a Governor. Freshman Frederic Schlossmann, a Regensburg, Germany, native is Austin Peay’s lone newcomer for the 2021 season.
The Opposition
Lipscomb (0-0)
All-time series: Lipscomb leads the all-time series, 6-10.
Last Meeting: Austin Peay State University traveled to Nashville, January 24th, 2020, and fell to Lipscomb, 7-0. The Bison picked up wins in the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches to claim the doubles point, before sweeping the six singles matches. Edison and Andersson both pushed their matches to three sets, but ultimately came up short.
Friday’s match against Lipscomb will be the season opener for the Bison as well as the Governors. Lipscomb was 9-1 last season and dropped the final match they played to Tennessee Tech, 7-0, before the season was cut short.
Middle Tennessee (2-1)
All-time series: Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series, 34-7.
Last Meeting: Austin Peay State University made the trip to Murfreesboro and fell to Middle Tennessee, 7-0, on Jan. 20, 2020. The Blue Raiders picked up wins in the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches to claim the doubles points, before ultimately sweeping the six singles matches.
Middle Tennessee opened the 2021 season with a win at home against Louisiana, 6-1, before falling to No. 3 Ohio State, 4-0, on the road in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Raiders bounced back with a win over Iowa, 4-0, in Columbus and will play a Friday, January 29th match against Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi, before taking on the Govs on Sunday.
Next Up For APSU Men’s Tennis
The Austin Peay State University men’s tennis team will stay on the road for a 1:00pm, February 6th match at Chattanooga.
In the time of COVID-19 Coronavirus, there is always a chance that a match will be postponed or not come to fruition. For news, scheduling changes, and match-time updates, be sure to check back at LetsGoPeay.com or follow the Governors men’s tennis Twitter account (@AustinPeayMTN).
