CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston men's tennis team open February with three matches in three days on the road. The Cougars begin with Bethune-Cookman on Friday before facing Georgia Southwestern State on Saturday and Florida A&M on Sunday.
 
Play begins at 10 a.m. tomorrow against the Wildcats at the City Island Tennis Court in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Quotable – Head Coach Jay Bruner
"We've had a couple of weeks since our indoor match against Virginia Tech and are excited to get back outside and start the outdoor season with three matches in three days... We're always prepared for good matches down in Florida and there is no substitute for match play in college tennis."

Scouting Bethune-Cookman (Fri. Feb. 1, 10 a.m.)
The Wildcats sit at 1-1 after falling in their spring season opener to Embry-Riddle, 2-5, before downing Stetson University in come-from-behind fashion 4-3 on Jan. 30 in the home opener. Victor Bravo leads Bethune-Cookman at No. 1 singles (2-0) with Juan Navarro also 2-0 at No. 5 singles.
The Wildcats are coming off a 4-10 campaign in 2018 that saw them qualify for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament after missing the post-season in 2017. During the 2018 fall season, BCU won its first-ever HBCU Nationals tournament championship.
 
Scouting Georgia Southwestern State (Sat. Feb. 2, 10:30 a.m.)
The Hurricanes open the season on Friday against Christian Brothers University in Montgomery, Ala., before returning for their home opener against The College on Saturday. GSW finished the 2018 season at 7-14, 1-8 in conference play, and will be led by senior Beau Millwood (7-14 last season) in a young Hurricanes roster.
 
Scouting Florida A&M (Sun. Feb. 3)
The Rattlers finished 3-1 in the 2018 Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference race, ending the year with a 5-11 record overall. Nourelidin Adam led Florida A&M last year in the No. 1 singles spot with a 4-3 record, Federico Nani finishing at 6-2 in the No. 2 spot.
 
The Cougars
Charleston returns four letter-winners from a 2018 squad who finished 7-12 in the CAA Quarterfinal round. This year the Cougars are led by three-time All-CAA selection Benedikt Henning alongside junior Easton Thomas. Ksawery Pociej and Youssef Dabbabi are the sophomores while head coach Jay Bruner welcomes six newcomers including three-star recruit Robby Krick (Ashland, Ky.). The freshman class also includes Johnny Wang (Chinese Taipei), Andre Limon (Mexico City, Mexico), Ben Husum (Aarhus, Denmark), Augusto Gonzalez Bonorino (Tucuman, Argentina) and January signee Benjamin Cawston (Tasmania, Australia).
 
Senior Leader
Charleston will look to the leadership of senior Benedikt Henning, a three-time All-CAA selection, at the top of the lineup with an 11-5 singles record and 12-3 doubles record last year. The German garned First Team All-CAA Singles honors in both 2017 and 2018, earning All-CAA Second Team Doubles honors last year. Easton Thomas, 7-11 singles and 7-6 doubles in 2018, is the lone junior in a young Cougars roster.