Men's Tennis Picked Fifth in HCAC Preseason Coaches Poll

GREENWOOD, IND.  --  The Defiance College men's tennis team was picked to finish fifth in the 2015 Heartland Collegiate Atthletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Yellow Jackets finished with 39 points to place fifth overall of nine teams, two points ahead of Hanover (Ind.) College.  Defending HCAC Champion, Earlham (Ind.) College was again picked as the favorite receiving five first-place votes and 75 points.  Rose-Hulman (Ind.) Institute of Technology was second with 71 points and two first-place votes and Transylvania (Ky.) University rounded out the top three teams with 70 points and two first-place votes.

The Yellow Jackets are coming off of a season that saw them post an 11-9 overall record in dual match competition and qualified for the HCAC Tournament.  DC will return a pair of All-HCAC performers from last season in senior Ryan Nelson (Oregon/Clay) and sophomore James Demeo (Oregon/Clay).  Both were named honorable mention last spring.  

Nelson ended the 2014 season with a 14-6 overall record in singles competition and 6-2 against conference opponents.  He played primarily at the No. 2 singles spot where he had a 12-5 record.  Nelson also saw time at No. 3 singles and finished with a 2-1 mark.  

Demeo had a standout "rookie" season for the Jackets last spring finishing as the team's top singles player with a 17-2 overall record and a perfect 8-0 HCAC mark.  He played primarily at the No. 4 spot and had a 15-2 record in addition to playing No. 3 singles where he recorded a 2-0 record.  Demeo will enter the 2015 season with a nine-match winning streak.

Also being selected as a preseason "Player to Watch," senior Justin Walker (Oak Harbor) will look for a strong final season.  Last year, Walker finished with a 12-7 overall record and 7-1 in the HCAC.  Walker competed as the No. 5 singles player and posted an 11-6 mark while also playing at No. 4 singles with a 1-1 record.  

The DC men's tennis team will open the 2015 season on Saturday, Feb. 21 when it hosts Roosevelt (Ill.) University in a non-conference dual match.  The match is set to begin at 4 p.m.