The Basics
Drake men's tennis travels to Cincinnati, Ohio this weekend for a pair of road matches. The Bulldogs will face the Xavier Musketeers on Friday, Feb. 27 at 12 p.m., before taking on the Northern Kentucky Norse on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 5 p.m.
Fans can follow both matches through the live scoring links available on the Drake men's tennis schedule page.
Bulldog Breakdown
Drake enters the weekend with an 8-2 overall record and will look to extend its current eight-match winning streak. The Bulldogs are coming off another dominant homestand at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center, sweeping Chicago State and Saint Louis to secure their second consecutive weekend of clean sweeps.
Drake remains undefeated at home this season and has shown consistency throughout the lineup in both doubles and singles play during its current run. Now, the Bulldogs will aim to carry that momentum onto the road as they close out the month of February in Cincinnati.
Scouting the Xavier Musketeers
Xavier enters Friday's match with a 4-6 overall record but is riding a three-match winning streak after a commanding 6-1 victory over IU Indy last Sunday. The Musketeers will look to extend their streak to four while attempting to snap Drake's eight-match run.
Head coach Ryan Rasco was promoted to lead the program during the 2022-23 season after serving on staff since 2016. Under Rasco's guidance, Xavier posted 12 wins in 2022 — its highest total since 2015-16 — and advanced to the BIG EAST Semifinals for the first time since 2016. Rasco has helped coach six All-BIG EAST selections, including Diego Nava, who reached as high as No. 52 in the ITA singles rankings and competed in the NCAA Singles Championships.
The Musketeers will present a strong test as they look to continue to build momentum going into March.
Scouting the Northern Kentucky Norse
Northern Kentucky enters the weekend with a 2-4 record and is coming off a narrow 4-3 road loss to Southern Indiana. The Norse will look to rebound on Saturday evening against the Bulldogs.
Brian Nester is in his 13th year leading the NKU tennis programs and has guided the Norse to consistent success both on the court and in the classroom. The men's program has posted multiple consecutive winning seasons and advanced to Horizon League Championship play in recent years, including an appearance in the conference championship match in 2021. NKU has also consistently ranked among the top academic programs within its athletic department under Nester's leadership.
Saturday's contest will cap Drake's weekend road trip against a hungry Horizon League opponent.
Up Next
Following this weekend's matches, the Bulldogs will return home to host Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on Wednesday, March 4 at 5 p.m. at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.
