DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's tennis squad begins the 2017 season on Saturday as the Bulldogs host George Washington at 9 a.m. and Northern Illinois at 6 p.m. at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.
 
Head coach Davidson Kozlowski returns seven student-athletes from last year's squad, including four All-Missouri Valley Conference selections.
  
The Bulldogs will look to learn from their experience from last season with four juniors and three sophomores on the roster and will welcome freshman, Barny Thorold.
 
Sophomore Vinny Gillespie is poised lead Drake as the team's top singles player and begins the season ranked 73rd nationally. Last year, he posted a 17-7 singles record and 14-9 doubles record in dual-match play.
 
Junior Calum MacGeoch led the team a season ago with a 23-7 singles record, while fellow junior Ben Stride and sophomore Tom Hands each tallied 12 or more wins apiece.
 
Junior Ben Wood and sophomore Ben Clark will look to become regulars in the singles lineup, while junior Bayo Philips looks to get back on track after a tough 2016 season.
 
Following Saturday's matches the Bulldogs heads to Austin, Texas for the ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 28-29. Drake will face off against No. 4 Texas to begin the weekend and then will play either Oregon or Rice close out the trip.