Mid-American Conference

Western Michigan Selected To Win the 2018 MAC Men's Tennis Regular Season Title;
Buffalo Picked To Win 2018 MAC Men’s Tennis Tournament Championship
 
Cleveland, OH - The Mid-American Conference announced today the 2018 MAC Men’s Tennis Preseason Poll as voted upon by the MAC Men’s Tennis Head Coaches.  Western Michigan was selected to capture the MAC regular season title, while Buffalo was picked to win the 2018 MAC Men’s Tennis Tournament Championship.
 
Last season Buffalo won the program’s second MAC Men’s Tennis Tournament after posting a dramatic 4-3 win over Western Michigan as the Bulls won the final three singles matches to earn the 2017 MAC Men’s Tennis Tournament Championship.  Buffalo finished with a 14-5 overall record as head coach Lee Nickell was named 2017 MAC Coach of the Year.
 
Western Michigan finished first in the preseason poll after ending the 2017 season as the No. 1 seed before falling to Buffalo in the MAC Tournament Championship.  Leading the Broncos will be sophomore Kennosuke Nouchi, who was named 2017 All-MAC First Team selection and was the 2017 MAC Newcomer of the Year.  Nouchi, a native of Kashima, Japan, posted a 6-1 MAC record in singles, 16-6 overall and a 2-2 mark in MAC doubles, including 13-6 overall. Also leading Western Michigan will be senior Maik Steiner and junior Matej Svjetlicic. Steiner, a native of Erbach, Germany, finished 17-12 overall in singles and a 12-8 overall record in doubles. Svjetlicic, a native of Zagreb, Croatia, had a 4-3 MAC record in singles, 14-8 overall. Senior Billy Heckman, junior’s Lenhard Haupt, Kris Knof, Eric Olivarez and Nick Schnobel, sophomore Jannik Opitz and freshman Zac Faveri complete the Broncos 2018 roster.
 
Buffalo finished second in the poll and will be led by sophomore Hao Sheng Koay, who was named 2017 All-MAC First Team selection. A native of Kangar, Malaysia, Sheng Koay posted a 3-3 overall MAC record in singles and an 8-7 overall record, while adding a 2-1 MAC record in doubles and 6-6 overall doubles mark. Senior Vidit Vaghela and sophomore Ville Fridell were both named 2017 All-MAC Second Team honorees.  A native of Ahmedabad, India, Vaghela went 4-2 in MAC singles and a 7-8 overall record, including a 3-2 overall doubles mark.  A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, Fridell was 5-1 in MAC singles, 9-5 overall in singles and posted a 4-0 MAC record in doubles, including a 10-4 overall doubles record. Senior Petr Vodak, junior Ethan Nittolo and sophomore Konstantinos Tsakiris will add depth to the Bulls roster.
 
Northern Illinois finished third in the preseason poll and the senior trio of Georg Lundkvist, Thom Hjertonsson and Louis-Philippe Hamel will lead the Huskies. Lundkvist, a native of Linkoping, Sweden, was named 2017 All-MAC Second Team honors after posting a 17-18 overall record in singles, including a 12-12 mark in doubles. Hjertonsson, a native of Gothenburg, Sweden, had an 18-17 singles record and 11-11 overall in doubles. A native of Drummondville, Quebec, Hamel recorded a 13-7 overall singles record, including 12-5 overall in doubles. Senior’s Eric Marbach and Austin Russell, junior Erich Schuette, sophomore Bor Schweiger Muzar and freshmen Kristopher Ortega and Victor Spolidorio complete the Huskies roster.
 
Ball State ranked fourth in the preseason poll and will be led by junior’s Conner Andersen and twins Nemanja and Marko Guzina. Andersen, a native of Greenwood, Ind., posted a 22-13 overall record in singles and a 14-10 overall mark in doubles. Nemanja Guzina, a native of Toronto, had an overall singles record of 21-13, while adding a 14-10 overall doubles record, while his brother Marko posted 16 overall victories in singles play. Senior Jan Jirus, junior’s Tom Carney, Patrick O’Connor and Collin Rigney, and freshmen Chris Adams, Bryce Bonin, Thibault De Negri, Khamasi Muhiga, Alec Robillard and Luke Wiese complete the Cardinals roster.
 
Toledo was ranked fifth in the preseason poll and the Rockets have the task of replacing three-time MAC Player of the Year Stjepan Sisko. Leading Toledo will be senior Omar Espinosa, a native of Queretaro, Mexico, who posted a 7-5 overall record in both singles and doubles, and junior Vince Anzalone, a native of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, who added a 9-14 overall mark in singles and 10-8 overall record in doubles.
A native of Bangkok, Thailand, sophomore Thawin Suksathaporn posted an 8-11 overall record in singles and 11-6 overall record in doubles.  Senior Stephen Miller, junior’s Juan Carranza, Serjen Olmedo, Reid Teatsorth and Luka Vitosevic, and sophomore Danilo Vukotic round out the Rockets roster.
 
Binghamton finished sixth in the preseason poll and junior Ludovico Cestarollo returns after being named 2017 All-MAC First Team selection.  A native of Rovereto, Italy, Cestarollo posted a 5-2 MAC record at No. 1 singles and 11-12 overall.  At No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, Cestarollo had a 2-3 MAC record, including 8-10 overall.  The Bearcats also have sophomore Kushaan Nath returning after being named 2017 All-MAC Second Team.  A native of Delhi, India, Nath had a 5-2 MAC record at No. 3 and a 16-8 overall record. Nath also at No. 1 doubles posted a 1-5 MAC record and 5-15 mark overall.  Junior’s Valentin Bouchet, Josh Druger and Inigo Saez, sophomore’s Tiago Lourenco, Sebastian Quiros and Amerigo Valenti add depth to the Bearcats roster.
 
Last season, Western Michigan won the regular season crown and with the No. 1 seed lost to No. 2 seed Buffalo, 4-3, in the MAC Tournament Championship.  The win was Buffalo’s second Conference Tournament Championship (2015).
 
The 2018 MAC Men’s Tennis Tournament is scheduled for April 27-28 on the campus of the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y.
 
The complete voting totals are as follows with all six head coaches casting votes.
 
2018 MAC Men's Tennis Preseason Poll
1. Western Michigan (34)
2. Buffalo (32)
3. Northern Illinois (21)
4. Ball State (19)
5. Toledo (11)
6. Binghamton (9)
(total points based on 6 points for a first-place vote; 5 for second-place, etc.)
 
Regular Season First-Place votes: Western Michigan (4); Buffalo (2).
Tournament winner votes: Buffalo (3); Western Michigan (2); Northern Illinois (1).