BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The Virginia Tech men’s tennis team faces a pivotal weekend against No. 22 Florida State and No. 49 Miami. The matches will be played at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center on the Virginia Tech campus. Friday’s contest against the Seminoles is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., while the Sunday match against the Hurricanes will begin at noon.
Virginia Tech (8-3, 2-1), ranked No. 22 in the latest ITA national poll, rolled to a 5-2 win over No. 25 Nebraska and a 7-0 victory against No. 62 Maryland last week. Tech is currently fourth in the ACC standings trailing Florida State, Virginia and North Carolina.
Luka Somen (So., Karlovac, Croatia), ranked No. 67 nationally in singles, is 9-2 in dual matches this season, including wins over five nationally ranked players. Yoann Re (Sr., Verdun, Quebec, Canada), ranked No. 51, has wins over two top-20 players and five victories over nationally ranked opponents. Sebastien Jacques (Magog, Quebec, Canada), entered the national rankings last week at No. 107 and has posted a solid 7-3 singles record at the No. 6 position.
Florida State (11-3, 4-0) blanked No. 29 Clemson, 7-0, last week and has posted three 5-2 conference wins over Boston College, No. 38 Georgia Tech and No. 39 Miami. The Seminoles are led by No. 22 Jean-Yves Aubone, No. 48 Vahid Mrzadeh and No. 71 Clint Bowles. Aubone/Bowles are also ranked No. 60 in doubles.
Tech is 0-4 against Florida State since entering the conference in 2005. Last year’s match in Tallahassee, Fla., was rained out.
Miami (6-6, 0-3) has dropped ACC contests to No. 19 Florida State (2-5), No. 47 Clemson (3-4) and No. 26 Georgia Tech (3-4). The Hurricanes snapped a four-match losing streak last weekend with a 6-1 win over Princeton. Miami will play at No. 1 Virginia on Friday prior to facing the Hokies. Tech is 2-4 against the Hurricanes since entering the ACC and dropped a 5-0 decision last year in Coral Gables, Fla.
Following Sunday’s match, Tech will head down Tobacco Road for contests at No. 24 Duke on Friday, April 2, at 1 p.m., and at No. 18 North Carolina on Sunday, April 4 at 1 p.m.
For updates on Virginia Tech men's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_MTennis).