SPARTANBURG, S.C. (April 23, 2015) - Top-seeded ETSU will open play in the Southern Conference Men's Tennis Championship Friday, April 24 versus eighth-seeded The Citadel at 8:30 a.m., in Spartanburg, S.C.

Friday's quarterfinal matches will take place in Spartanburg on the campus of Wofford College. The semifinal and final rounds of the tourney will be played at Furman University in Greenville, S.C.

GETTING UP TO SPEED

Four ETSU players earned all-conference honors, as announced by the Southern Conference league office Wednesday, April 22.

ETSU's No. 1 and No. 2 singles players, David Biosca (Sant Fruitos de Bage, Spain) and Rogerio Ribeiro (Sao Paulo, Brazil) were named to the All-SoCon Singles First Team. Biosca and Ribeiro earned First Team status as a doubles duo, as well.

Biosca, a sophomore from Sant Fruitos de Bage, Spain, was named the SoCon Men's Tennis Player of the Year after posting a 13-5 (6-0 SoCon) record this spring, becoming the seventh player in program history to receive a league Player of the Year award.

Co-captain Ismael Merino (Lima, Peru) earned All-SoCon Singles Second Team honors, and paired with Robert Herrera (Barcelona, Spain) to notch a spot on the Doubles Second Team. Herrera and Merino have won 10 consecutive doubles matches together.

Herrera also earned a spot on the conference's All-Freshman Team following a spring in which he posted a cumulative record of 16-4 (7-1 SoCon).

Head Coach Yaser Zaatini was named SoCon Men's Tennis Coach of the Year after guiding ETSU to the league's regular-season championship. In his coaching career, Zaatini has been awarded a Coach of the Year honor seven times.

The Buccaneers finished the regular season by reeling off 10 consecutive wins, including victories in 13 of their last 14 matches, with the lone setback coming on the road to No. 5 Georgia.

ETSU has advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of the past eight seasons.

OPPONENT AT A GLANCE

ETSU and The Citadel squared off during the regular season Friday, April 17, with the Buccaneers earning a 7-0 victory in Johnson City.

The young Bulldogs (2-29, 0-7 SoCon) will enter Friday's matchup in the midst of a 23-match losing streak.

Of The Citadel's 11 players, eight are underclassmen. The team features just one senior.

SoCon Men’s Tennis Championship

Friday, April 24 – at Wofford College                                    

Saturday, April 25 – at Furman

Sunday, April 26 – at Furman

For additional information on the Southern Conference Men's Tennis Championship, visit SoConSports.com by clicking here.

FOLLOW THE BUCS

• Receive live game updates and behind-the-scenes access of ETSU Men’s Tennis by following @ETSUMensTennis on Twitter.
• ETSU fans wanting to receive Buccaneer news, score updates, in-game promotions and much more sent to their mobile device can do so by signing up for “Buc Updates.” Click here to sign up today!