THIS WEEK...
Aggie Fall Invitational
Oct. 3-5, 2014
Play begins at 8:30 a.m. each day
Marya Welch Tennis Center - Davis, Calif.
Draws/Results: http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=162728#&&s=7Draws7

DAVIS, Calif. -- With classes underway on the UC Davis campus, the Aggie men's tennis team finally gets it's season underway on the courts, hosting student-athletes from nine other institutions for the 2014 Aggie Fall Invitational this weekend at the Marya Welch Tennis Center on campus.

Alongside host UC Davis, competitors from regional rivals California, Sonoma State, Sacramento State, San Francisco, Saint Mary's, Pacific, Fresno State, Nevada, and Stanford, will battle in three flights of singles and a pair of doubles flights beginning on Friday (Oct. 3) and running through Sunday (Oct. 5). Play begins at 8:30 a.m. each day, with doubles champions crowned on Sunday morning following by the championship matches for singles.

"Our goal with this tournament is to play as well as we can each day," Head Coach Eric Steidlmayer said. "In big tournaments like this, our team will take its share of wins, but also defeats, so it is important to see if we can play well in each match and then learn our lessons from each win or loss."

The weekend is the first of four fall events for the Aggies, who will also compete at the UC Santa Barbara Classic (Oct. 10-12), the ITA Northwest Regional (Oct. 17-21), and the Saint Mary's Fall Invitational (Oct. 31-Nov. 2).

Fresh off its most successful Division I season in 2013-14 and a strong summer, UC Davis returns most of its starting dual match lineup from last spring, including a quartet of 20-game winners in junior Brett Bacharach (25-11), and sophomores James Wade (28-8), Alec Adamson (22-11), and Bryce McKelvie (20-6).

Four new faces dot the Aggie roster for the 2014-15 campaign in Division I transfers Jesse Ross (Santa Clara) and Eli Whittle (Brown) along with freshmen Tommy Lam (Hong Kong) and Everett Maltby (Sunnyvale, Calif.), making up one of the nation's top mid-major recruiting classes.

"I think last year showed we can mix it up with some of the better teams on the West Coast, and within our conference," Steidlmayer said. "I am hopeful that the guys see themselves in a different light, as a really good team that has a chance to push forward and be great.

"Overall, I think that the guys learned that it is a long season, and that having a process oriented approach towards improvement can really maximize what they are trying to do as a group."

Eight of the nine Aggies will be in action on Friday morning as Adamson, Bacharach, and Wade, will compete in Flight A singles, while Maltby, McKelvie, Adam Levie, Ross, and Lam, will battle through the Flight B singles bracket.

In doubles, Adamson and Lam will team up, along with Bacharach and Wade in Flight A, with Maltby and Ross pairing up in Flight B.

"We have a good group," Steidlmayer said. "Our returning players have been welcoming, and the new guys have fit in fairly well. I like the mix. While we are a young team, I really do think that everyone is there for the right reasons -- to help themselves, and UC Davis tennis, improve."

Complete brackets for the weekend are linked above.