Gangelhoff announces challenging schedule for fresh men’s tennis team.
Eagle’s tennis opens the season in early February, looking to get back to the SAC semifinals.
VIDEO: Gangelhoff Full Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Eagle's tennis opens the season in early February, looking to get back to the SAC semifinals.
After an upset win in the conference tournament last season, the men's tennis team looks to pick up right where they started. Head coach Nate Gangelhoff has curated the 2026 spring tennis schedule to challenge the squad and put them in a great position for the postseason.
"I'm excited for what the experience that they're going to get this year and how they're going to learn more about each other and how they're going to compete with each other, especially in how tough our conference and region is," said Gangelhoff.
The Eagles' spring slate kicks off with eight nonconference matchups. First up for C-N is an exhibition match against the Division III Sewanee Tigers. The Eagles then roll right into their first regional match against Cumberland (Ky.) on February 7th.
The first home match for the Eagles lands less than a week later against Montreat at the Knoxville Racquet Club, followed by a regional match against King the next day.
Gangelhoff highlighted Middle Georgia and #10 North Georgia as nonconference matches to watch in late February.
"Middle Georgia is super strong," said Gangelhoff. "I think that just because they're moving up to D2, definitely shouldn't take them for granted. They're going to be a tough battle."
It will be a fresh look for the men's tennis team, which returns just five players from last season who played in singles matches. Leonard Baecker and Louis Keenan played a combined 30 singles matches last season and will be the familiar faces on court for the 2026 season. Otherwise, C-N will benefit from transfer students like Darko Kolevski and talented freshmen to give the Eagles a new look.
"This is a different group. Last year, we had four seniors in our starting six, and now this year, we have four brand new guys in our starting six. So it's going to be a different year for us. I think it's a different vibe on our team," said Gangelhoff. "They're hungry. They're excited to compete."
SAC play kicks off on the 28th of February against Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory. The first match in March is one of the most important of the season, when the Eagles travel to the reigning conference champions and the eighth-nationally ranked Catawba.
Just a week later, the SAC home opener will take place in Mossy Creek when the Eagles host UVA Wise on March 11th.
"Every team got stronger which is great for our conference. I think our conference needs more recognition for how strong we are. I would put our conference up against maybe top four, top five conferences in the country, especially our region," said Gangelhoff.
The Eagles have home court advantage against #19 Wingate on March 28th and will celebrate senior day on April 4th against Pikeville University. Gangelhoff highlights LMU on April 9th as the match to watch as the Eagles make their way down the stretch of the regular season.
"I think that's definitely the match of the year for us when they come to us this year. So LMU is super good. Abraham's a really good coach, and he structures his team very, very well. And his teams are always competitive," said Gangelhoff.
Newberry will be the final regular season contest on April 11th, followed by the conference championship on April 16-18 in Sumter, South Carolina.
"I think it's going to be important that we stay disciplined, we stay focused, and we stay hardworking. Our team model this year is soaring higher, which is appropriate for our mascot, to continue to rise and continue to get higher in our level and progress and get talented as the season goes along," said Gangelhoff.
You can catch the Eagles in action on February 5th for the exhibition against Sewanee at 4 PM in Sewanee, Tennessee.
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