The Basics
Drake men's tennis is returning home to the Roger Knapp Tennis Center this weekend for a match against Wichita State on Friday, February 23 at 10 a.m.
Coach Ben Lott on the Upcoming Match
"The team is excited to tomorrow's dual match vs Wichita State. Duals between the two programs are always close battles, and I expect this year's matchup to be the same. Last week's matches against Arkansas and Oklahoma State were a good opportunity to test ourselves against a couple of highly ranked teams and learn where we need to improve to get ourselves up to that level. Tomorrow's match will be a good opportunity for us to implement some of those areas we have been working on this week."
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake is 6-4 on the season but is on a two-game skid. Last time out, the Bulldogs dropped a match to Oklahoma State. The match against Wichita State will be Drake's first home game since Feb. 3., when Drake defeated Creighton 4-3.
Markus Bolin holds a team-best 7-2 record in singles play. He collected the lone Bulldog point against Arkansas with a singles win. The tandem of
Oliver Johansson and
Matija Matic is the top doubles pairing for the Bulldogs, as they hold a 5-3 record.
Scouting the Competition
Wichita State is 2-6, and they've dropped three matches in a row. The Shockers are 1-3 in road matches. Most recently, Wichita State lost two home matches. On Feb. 16, the Shockers narrowly lost to New Mexico 3-4, then dropped a match against UTSA 2-4 two days later. Wichita State's two wins came against Grand Canyon and Omaha.
Vanja Hodzic leads Wichita State with 12 singles wins and will likely compete in the No. 3 singles slot. Misha Kvantaliani and Richey King are probable to face Matic and Johansson in the No. 1 doubles position.
Drake is 19-9 in the all-time series against Wichita State and has won two head-to-head matches in a row. These schools most recently squared off in 2023, where Drake defeated Wichita State 4-3 on the road.
Up Next
Drake will play North Dakota, its first Summit League opponent of the season, on Mar. 2 in Grand Forks, N.D.
