Jan. 14, 2011

CHICAGO- The UIC men's tennis team will open its 2011 spring season this weekend, when the Flames take on Windy City foes DePaul (Saturday) and Northwestern (Sunday).

The Flames will take on the Blue Demons on Saturday, Jan, 15, at the Lakeshore Athletic Club at 6 p.m. Then they will travel north to Evanston on Sunday evening, and face off against No. 59 Northwestern at the Combe Tennis Courts beginning at 7 p.m.

Earning his 100th win last season against Southern Illinois, two-time Horizon League Coach of the Year, Hans Neufeld will be entering his tenth season as the man in charge of the men's tennis program.

Heufeld enters into this season losing his top two players, but has seven returners, with an addition of six newcomers added to the roster. The Flames are coming off a 15-11 overall record in 2010, finishing conference play with a 5-2 mark that put them in second-place behind Cleveland State.

"We lost our top two players to graduation last year, but we brought in a strong freshman recruiting class," said Neufeld. "We also solidified our doubles team with transfer players. Our biggest focus this spring will to bring the chemistry together among each other."

The Flames will be eager to take on the Blue Demons and Wildcats again, especially since last year they bowed out of the competition losing 6-1 and 7-0 respectively, to their cross-town rivals.

"We are looking forward to starting off with a very competitive non-conference schedule," Neufeld said.

UIC (0-0) vs. DePaul (0-0)
Saturday, Jan. 15
Lakeshore Athletic Club
Chicago, Ill. • 6 p.m.

UIC (0-0) vs. No.59 Northwestern (0-0)
Sunday, Jan. 16
Combe Indoor Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill. • 7 p.m.