CLEVELAND, Ohio – The 2026 Mid-American Conference men's tennis season kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 10, with Ball State as the first team to take the court at Indiana.

Western Michigan, Toledo, UIC, and Buffalo will open their respective season the following week. Northern Illinois will welcome IU Indy to DeKalb, Ill., on Friday, Jan. 23, as its first opponent of the new season.

The regular season will conclude on Saturday, April 11. The top four teams in the conference will advance to the 2026 MAC Men’s Tennis Championship on April 18-19 at the UB Tennis Courts/ Miller Tennis Center in Buffalo, NY.

Below is a team-by-team preview for the 2026 MAC Men's Tennis season.

Team-By-Team Previews (In Preseason Coaches’ Poll Predicted Order)
Buffalo Bulls
More information to come...


Western Michigan Broncos
More information to come...


Toledo Rockets
Friday, Jan. 16 / at Purdue / West Lafayette, Ind. / 6:00 p.m. / Watch (Playsight) / Live Results
Sunday, Jan. 18 / at No. 6 Ohio State / Columbus, Ohio / 10:00 a.m. / Watch / Live Results

Men's Tennis opens its 2026 dual season with a pair of road matches against Big Ten opponents Purdue and No. 6-ranked Ohio State this weekend. The Rockets return seven letterwinners from the 2025 squad, including All-MAC honorees Hanamichi Carvajal and Poonthong Komolpisut. The team welcomes three newcomers, including two freshmen and one transfer.


UIC Flames
More information to come...


Northern Illinois Huskies
More information to come...


Ball State Cardinals
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State men's tennis team will open its spring schedule Saturday when it plays at Indiana University.  The match is set to begin a 4 pm ET at the IU Tennis Center in Bloomington. 

"Our team is excited to kick off the season with a great opponent in Indiana," Ball State first-year head men's tennis coach Gene Orland said. "We have had a great week of preparation, and we are playing well!  The score card may tilt heavily in Indiana's favor, but there's no doubt we can compete with anyone, and we are up for the challenge."

The Cardinals begin a new era under Orlando. Orlando, who is a former Ball State men's tennis standout and hall of famer, was announced as Ball State's head coach on June 30, 2025, after former head coach Bill Richards announced his retirement after 53 years at the helm of the men's tennis program. 

Orlando has spent the last three seasons as Richards' assistant coach. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Orlando was the head coach at Michigan State for 31 seasons before retiring after the 2022 campaign. The winningest men's tennis coach in MSU history, with 361 victories, he was also the longest-tenured men's tennis coach in the Big Ten Conference. 

Ball State returns five players from last year's squad: Jenson Bicanic, Broc Fletcher, Drew Hayward, Jacks Lancaster, and Anthony Shalakov , along with welcoming five newcomers, Andrei Caragea, Nolan Hayward, Zack Kimelman, Jeremy Milette, and Ryan Richards.

After this weekend, the Cardinals will host Xavier on Jan. 17 at noon at the Cardinals' new indoor tennis facility, First Serve Muncie, which is located at 3500 N Chadam Lane.