DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's tennis team heads to Chapel Hill, N.C. Saturday and Sunday to compete in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend event against No. 3 North Carolina, No. 17 Michigan and No. 20 South Carolina at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
 
The Bulldogs begin the two-day event against No. 3 North Carolina on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and then close out the weekend against either No. 17 Michigan or No. 20 South Carolina, depending on Saturday's outcome.
 
Drake opened the season last weekend and earned three wins, led by junior Ben Clark, who was named Summit League Player of the Week on Tuesday. The Bulldogs topped Tennessee Tech (6-1), Northern Illinois (4-0) and Western Michigan (4-3).
 
The Tar Heels have yet to drop a match as they have swept Bucknell, Wofford and Campbell last week. UNC lineup is loaded with four players ranked in the top-95 in singles and led by No. 2 William Blumberg. Blumberg finished NCAA Singles Runner-Up as a freshman last May and backed that up with a ITA Men's All-American Championship title this fall.
 
The Wolverines enter the weekend with a pair of road wins at Washington (4-3) and at Boise State (7-0). Michigan are led by ninth-ranked Alex Knight and 20th-ranked Runhao Hua. Knight and Hua are also ranked 19th as a doubles team.
 
The Gamecocks enter the event with a 4-0 record after earning a pair of over The Citadel and then victories against Elon and Davidson last weekend. USC has one of the most competitive lineups with four players ranked between 57th and 117th. Francisco Cerundolo, a freshman from Bueno Aires, leads the team ranked 57th after posting three nationally ranked wins during the fall season.
 
Following this weekend's matches, the Bulldogs returns to the Roger Knapp Tennis Center to host Michigan State on Friday, Feb. 2 and New Mexico on Sunday, Feb. 4.