NEW ORLEANS – The 2017 outdoor season will get underway Monday when the Alcorn State University men's tennis program squares off against Tulane at 1 p.m. at City Park Pepsi Center.
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The Braves are coming off an impressive fall season in three meets. Junior
Nischay Rawal won the second-flight singles bracket with a perfect 4-0 mark at the Fall Fling in Pensacola, Florida on Oct. 18, 2016. Rawal, who went undefeated in SWAC play last year at No. 4 singles, also won a pair of matches in Alcorn's 7-3 win over Delta State on Oct. 30, 2016.
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Alcorn made a big addition to the top of its lineup by bringing in junior
Kert Kilumets. He came from North Carolina Central where he played No. 1 singles and was All-MEAC First-Team. Kilumets was the 2014-15 MEAC Freshman of the Year.
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Kilumets will duke it out with junior
Nikita Kostikov who played both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles last year for the Braves. He partnered with Rawal and the duo lost just one SWAC match last season.
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In addition to Kostikov and Rawal, Alcorn also brings back its No. 3 singles player sophomore Nuno Rucho and its No. 6 singles player junior
Javon Yarbrough. The Braves round out their roster with a pair of freshmen
Suyash Gupta and
Ivan Matas.
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The Alcorn women's program will open its season Thursday at 1 p.m. at UL-Monroe.
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Head coach
Anthony Dodgen begins his 20th spring season at the helm after starting in 1998. Dodgen has won eight men's titles (1999, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014) and four women's championships (2000, 2001, 2008, 2016).
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