EAST LANSING, MICH. – 21st ranked Men's Tennis will compete on the road for the first time this spring, taking on UC Santa Barbara on Saturday Jan. 27, at 10 a.m. and Pepperdine on Sunday Jan. 28 at noon Eastern in Malibu, Calif..
The Spartans started the season 2-0 in a home-opening double header on Friday, Jan. 19 with dominant wins over Western Michigan and Brown. MSU dropped just one point of 14, topping the Broncos 6-1 and sweeping the Bears 7-0.
The No. 2 ranked doubles team in the nation, Max Sheldon and Ozan Baris, who are fresh off the program's first national title at the ITA Fall National Championships in early November, are expected to make their season debuts in singles and doubles.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
Saturday's matchup with MSU will be the season opener for UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos are the defending back-to-back Big West champions, having won the conference title in seven of the last eight seasons.
The Gauchos are led by the No. 19 singles player in the nation, senior Pablo Masjuan who last season racked up five ranked singles victories and played to the quarterfinals of the ITA Fall National Championships in November. The pairing of Masjuan and junior Gianluca Brunkow rank as the No. 37 doubles team nationally.
Series History vs. UC Santa Barbara
This will mark MSU's first ever dual against UC Santa Barbara.
Scouting Pepperdine
The Waves will open their season against Georgia Tech, who received votes in the latest ITA rankings, prior to facing MSU. Pepperdine won the West Coast Conference championship in 2023 and has finished top two in the WCC with eight-win seasons the last three seasons.
Freshman Edward Winter is ranked 23rd nationally in singles and begins his collegiate career already with multiple pro titles to his name. He pairs up with sophomore Maxi Homberg to make the ITA's No. 43 doubles team.
Seniors Guide MSU to 2-0, Sweep of Brown
MSU's seniors boosted the Spartans to 2-0 on the day and a perfect start to the season, aiding in five of the Spartans seven points in the sweep of Brown.
To start the night, graduate student Ronnie Hohmann III and senior Reed Crocker teamed up with younger teammates to win their respective doubles matches, their firsts of the season, and the doubles point for MSU.
In singles play senior Luke Baylis shined in his first match of the year, winning 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets. Senior Graydon Lair's 6-3, 6-3 win would later clinch the Spartan's victory at 4-0 and his 3-0 day. Graduate senior Sebastien Collard, in his fourth match of the day, knocked off his counterpart in three sets to secure the first 7-0 sweep of the young season.
Debutants Lead Spartans to Win in Opener
Four Spartans won in their official debuts in Green and White, including freshmen Taym Alazmeh and Aristotelis Thanos who clinched their first collegiate victories while MSU handled Western Michigan 6-1. Alazmeh was the only Spartan to go 4-0 overall on the weekend.
Graduate transfers Sebastien Collard earned his first victory at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center alongside senior Graydon Lair 6-3, clinching the doubles point for the Spartans. Collard was also an undefeated 3-0 in his first matchday in Green and White.
In a narrow feature match between both sides No. 1s, the nation's No. 12 singles player Hohmann notched his first win as a Spartan, edging the Bronco's Benjamin George 6-7 [5-7], 6-4, 1-0 (10-4), solidifying the season-opening 6-1 victory and his own 2-0 day.
Series History vs. Pepperdine
The Spartans and Waves have met once before, a 0-7 loss in Malibu on March 10, 2024.
Fall Competition Accolades
Beginning the Season with Historic Rankings
Entering the season, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association slotted MSU as the No. 24 team in the nation in the preseason rankings, the first time in program history the Spartans have been named inside the top 25 since the ITA began compiling rankings in 1981. In the first update to the rankings, without having played a match, MSU was bumped up to No. 22, and then after the 2-0 start last weekend, to No. 21.
Not only is the No. 21 team ranking a program-best but entering the season a national-high eight Spartans are ranked in the ITA's singles and doubles rankings. The four ranked doubles teams is also tied for the most in the country from one program.
The No. 2 doubles ranking for Max Sheldon and Ozan Baris is the highest ever for a Spartan duo. Baris and Hohmann's No. 6 and No. 12 singles rankings are also MSU-best individual rankings.
Spartans in ITA DI Men's Tennis Rankings
Singles
The Spartans started the season 2-0 in a home-opening double header on Friday, Jan. 19 with dominant wins over Western Michigan and Brown. MSU dropped just one point of 14, topping the Broncos 6-1 and sweeping the Bears 7-0.
The No. 2 ranked doubles team in the nation, Max Sheldon and Ozan Baris, who are fresh off the program's first national title at the ITA Fall National Championships in early November, are expected to make their season debuts in singles and doubles.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
Saturday's matchup with MSU will be the season opener for UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos are the defending back-to-back Big West champions, having won the conference title in seven of the last eight seasons.
The Gauchos are led by the No. 19 singles player in the nation, senior Pablo Masjuan who last season racked up five ranked singles victories and played to the quarterfinals of the ITA Fall National Championships in November. The pairing of Masjuan and junior Gianluca Brunkow rank as the No. 37 doubles team nationally.
Series History vs. UC Santa Barbara
This will mark MSU's first ever dual against UC Santa Barbara.
Scouting Pepperdine
The Waves will open their season against Georgia Tech, who received votes in the latest ITA rankings, prior to facing MSU. Pepperdine won the West Coast Conference championship in 2023 and has finished top two in the WCC with eight-win seasons the last three seasons.
Freshman Edward Winter is ranked 23rd nationally in singles and begins his collegiate career already with multiple pro titles to his name. He pairs up with sophomore Maxi Homberg to make the ITA's No. 43 doubles team.
Seniors Guide MSU to 2-0, Sweep of Brown
MSU's seniors boosted the Spartans to 2-0 on the day and a perfect start to the season, aiding in five of the Spartans seven points in the sweep of Brown.
To start the night, graduate student Ronnie Hohmann III and senior Reed Crocker teamed up with younger teammates to win their respective doubles matches, their firsts of the season, and the doubles point for MSU.
In singles play senior Luke Baylis shined in his first match of the year, winning 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets. Senior Graydon Lair's 6-3, 6-3 win would later clinch the Spartan's victory at 4-0 and his 3-0 day. Graduate senior Sebastien Collard, in his fourth match of the day, knocked off his counterpart in three sets to secure the first 7-0 sweep of the young season.
Debutants Lead Spartans to Win in Opener
Four Spartans won in their official debuts in Green and White, including freshmen Taym Alazmeh and Aristotelis Thanos who clinched their first collegiate victories while MSU handled Western Michigan 6-1. Alazmeh was the only Spartan to go 4-0 overall on the weekend.
Graduate transfers Sebastien Collard earned his first victory at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center alongside senior Graydon Lair 6-3, clinching the doubles point for the Spartans. Collard was also an undefeated 3-0 in his first matchday in Green and White.
In a narrow feature match between both sides No. 1s, the nation's No. 12 singles player Hohmann notched his first win as a Spartan, edging the Bronco's Benjamin George 6-7 [5-7], 6-4, 1-0 (10-4), solidifying the season-opening 6-1 victory and his own 2-0 day.
Series History vs. Pepperdine
The Spartans and Waves have met once before, a 0-7 loss in Malibu on March 10, 2024.
Fall Competition Accolades
- 20 total ranked wins
- 7 wins over top-25 opponents
- 15 ranked singles wins between 4 players
- 3 Doubles Titles
- ITA Fall National Championships Doubles Title (Sheldon/Baris, Nov. 5)
- Milwaukee Tennis Classic Doubles Title (Sheldon/Collard, Sep. 24)
- Gamecock Ranked Invite Doubles Title (Baris/Hohmann, Sep. 17)
- Battle in the Bay Singles Title & Runner-Up (Baris & Hohmann, Sep. 24)
- ITA All-American Championships Singles Semifinalist (Baris, Oct. 7)
Beginning the Season with Historic Rankings
Entering the season, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association slotted MSU as the No. 24 team in the nation in the preseason rankings, the first time in program history the Spartans have been named inside the top 25 since the ITA began compiling rankings in 1981. In the first update to the rankings, without having played a match, MSU was bumped up to No. 22, and then after the 2-0 start last weekend, to No. 21.
Not only is the No. 21 team ranking a program-best but entering the season a national-high eight Spartans are ranked in the ITA's singles and doubles rankings. The four ranked doubles teams is also tied for the most in the country from one program.
The No. 2 doubles ranking for Max Sheldon and Ozan Baris is the highest ever for a Spartan duo. Baris and Hohmann's No. 6 and No. 12 singles rankings are also MSU-best individual rankings.
Spartans in ITA DI Men's Tennis Rankings
Singles
- No. 6 – Ozan Baris
- No. 12 – Ronald Hohmann III
- No. 59 – Max Sheldon
- No. 116 – Graydon Lair
- No. 2 – Max Sheldon/Ozan Baris
- No. 29 – Sebastien Collard/Max Sheldon
- No. 41 – Ozan Baris/Ronald Hohmann III
- No. 45 – Ronald Hohmann III/Sebastien Collard
