August 30, 2000

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia Tech's men's tennis team has officially released its schedule for the 2000-2001 season.

The Hokies enter their first year in the BIG EAST Conference after a strong performance in the Atlantic 10 Conference, where they won the conference tournament the past five years. Head coach Jim Thompson said the Hokies are optimistic about the new conference and their schedule for this year.

Top returning players include seniors Gerard Baynham and Jay Bruner, junior Davor Dupljak, and sophomores Saber Kadiri and Michael Kurz. Joining the Hokies are freshman Andreas Lauland, who has most recently won two category I tournaments in Denmark, and Francis Hout, a transfer sophomore from Georgia State.

The Hokies start off this fall with the Illinois Invitational Tournament on Sept. 29, followed by the ECAC Championship in Boston, Mass., which is the qualifying tournament for the National Team Indoor Tennis Tournament in February. On Nov. 2, Tech will host the ITA Regional Championship, the largest individual tournament ever held in Blacksburg.