ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s tennis team kicks off the 2016 fall season Friday at the Drake Invitational in Des Moines, Iowa.
Drake University hosts the three-day round robin tournament at Roger Knapp Tennis Center. Six single pools and four doubles pools will be competing from Gustavus, Drake, Creighton University, Lewis University, the University of North Dakota, Northern Illinois University and Northwest Missouri State University.
Action will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday and return at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Head Coach Tommy Valentini begins his eighth season and returns 13 letter winners and welcomes five newcomers.
Top players returning include 2016 MIAC All-Conference honorees Mohanad Al-Houni (Jr., Tripoli, Libya), Zach Ekstein (Jr., Eagan, Minn.), Tommy Entwistle (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) and Gabe Steinwand (Jr., Moorhead, Minn.).
Last season at the Drake Invite, Al-Houni and Ekstein both won their respective singles flights Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Gustavus returns home to Swanson Tennis Center to host the ITA Midwest Regional Championships September 30-October 2.