The No. 23 Auburn men's tennis team is back on the road for a 5 p.m. match at Middle Tennessee State Friday at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The Tigers are ranked No. 23 in this week's Tennis Channel/USTA Top 25 and are No. 24 in the latest ITA team ratings.
"We're 8-0 and this is the first time the men's tennis program has been 8-0 to start the season since 2005. That speaks to where our program has been and where we're going," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said. "I couldn't be more excited for the team and for the work that these guys have put in; they deserve it and we're looking to keep it going. We don't want to stop here. It's a good momentum that we're riding.
"MTSU does a great job of getting local fan support, with tailgating and entertainment. It's a challenging environment going on the road in those conditions, but it's also a great learning experience for our guys and a great environment to play in. I know our guys will rise up to that because, whether it's for or against you, the extra energy helps guys play really well – we've got to be ready for that.
"Also, they're a very solid team and play well traditionally in doubles. They play downhill, like to come to the net, don't like to get into a lot of cross-court rallies from the baseline, and obviously, playing indoors, it's going to be a lot quicker. And they're really good at one and two in singles and solid at three, four, five and six. It will be a lot of the same team we saw last year, so we have a lot of video on them and will go at it in the same manner that we did last year."
The Tigers' 4-2 win over then-No. 34 Middle Tennessee State last March was one of the most exciting wins of the season for Auburn.
In the latest ITA individual rankings, the Tigers continue to have three ranked players in singles: Jan Galka (84), Tad Maclean (85) and Tyler Stice (95). In doubles, Galka and Stice are ranked No. 46. MTSU's Stijn Slump is No. 61 in singles.
Auburn is now 8-0 for the spring season, the best start for the Tigers since the 2005 campaign; a win Friday would tie Coach Eric Shore's 1991 squad for the third-best start in school history at 9-0. Middle Tennessee State has a 9-3 record.