JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Jan. 8, 2026) – The ETSU men's tennis team will open its 2026 schedule with matches at Tennessee and Wake Forest over the next few days. The Bucs will face the Volunteers twice on Friday at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. before clashing with the Demon Deacons on Sunday for a match slated to begin at 2 p.m.
 
ETSU is coming off a season where it compiled a record of 13-7 overall and 6-1 in SoCon action. The Buccaneers return four players (Carlos Gonzales, Peter Kalocsai, Juan Listo, James Sim) who saw action last season for the Blue and Gold. The rest of ETSU's roster is filled with transfers in Martin Vergara (Miami/Arizona State), Oscar Martinez (Siena), Arenui Luethi (Queens/Wichita State), and Kai Cowcher (Alabama A&M).
 
A highlight for the Bucs during the fall season was the play of Vergara and Martinez. Both players represented ETSU and the SoCon in the ITA Conference Masters Championships in San Diego. As a doubles pairing, Martinez and Vergara were one of 32 teams to qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship. Furthermore, Martinez and Vergara were ranked No. 61 in the country by the ITA at the end of the fall season.
 
Tennessee posted a 22-9 record a season ago. Most of the Vols' success came on their home court as 15 of their 22 wins came in Knoxville. The Vols have been an incredibly consistent program recently winning at least 21 matches in every full season since 2018 and reaching the NCAA Tournament every year that it was held during that time frame as well.
 
Wake Forest enters the spring season coming off a National Championship in 2025. WFU, which is the No. 1 team in the ITA National Team Rankings, went 40-1 in 2025. That lone loss came to Virginia, 4-3, in the ACC Tournament.
 
The Bucs have plenty of previous history against both Tennessee and Wake Forest. Friday will be the 47^th and 48^th meeting all-time between the Bucs and Vols. The last match between these two teams was in the 2024 NCAA Tournament when Tennessee knocked off the Bucs, 4-0. ETSU last defeated Tennessee in 1939, 4-3. As for Wake Forest, Sunday will be the 32^nd meeting in the series history. ETSU has not defeated Wake Forest since it won matches in 1992 and 1993.
 
For more information on Buccaneer men's tennis, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's tennis tab.