Tennessee has reached the NCAA national semifinals in each of the past two seasons, tallying a 54-12 record in that span. With Tennessee returning seven members of its 2022 roster and over 77 percent of its dual singles wins from last season, the Vols look to chase greatness once again in 2023.
Live stats will be provided by UTsports.com and can be found here. Admission is free and complimentary tennis parking is located in SC40 at the Kingston Pike Building. Additional parking information can be found here.
SCOUTING CHARLOTTE
Tennessee’s season-opening dual with Charlotte marks the eighth meeting all-time between the two schools, with the Vols holding a 7-0 advantage in the series that dates to 2017. Tennessee swept Charlotte 7-0 in last year’s Feb. 12 matchup.
The 49ers are coming off a 17-7 campaign in 2022 that saw them reach the Conference USA Championship final, falling to MTSU 4-3. Charlotte sophomore Vasco Prata—brother of Tennessee’s Martim Prata—tallied the most dual singles wins for the Niners in 2022 with 17. He posted records of 12-5 at the No. 6 spot and 5-0 at No. 5.
A win Sunday would give Tennessee its 11 consecutive season-opening victory. Entering Sunday, the Vols have won 23 of their last 24 season openers.
VOLS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#59 – Shunsuke Mitsui
#81 – Emile Hudd
#86 – Blaise Bicknell
Doubles
#25 – Emile Hudd/Shunsuke Mitsui
The ITA’s individual rankings next update on Feb. 8.
EXPERIENCED DEPTH
Seven of Tennessee’s nine roster spots are filled by either a graduate student or a senior, with five being graduate students along with a pair of seniors. Pat Harper, Emile Hudd and Martim Prata serve as the trio of Vols who return for their fifth season of eligibility, while incoming graduate transfers Boris Kozlov and Tomas Rodriguez each arrive on Rocky Top for their fifth collegiate season. Seniors Blaise Bicknell and Angel Diaz round out this list. Junior Johannus Monday and sophomore Shunsuke Mitsui are the lone exceptions in terms of being at least a fourth-year student-athlete.
LIVING IN THE RANKINGS
When the ITA ranked Tennessee as the No. 6 team in the nation ahead of the 2023 dual season Wednesday, it marked the 33rd consecutive ITA poll in which the Vols…
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