SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State University men's and women's tennis programs are set to open the 2023 tennis season against the Tiffin Dragons on Thursday. On the Men's side the Lakers look to improve on a 5-12 record from 2021-22 while the women are coming off of a campaign in which they finished with a 8-10 record and have high hopes for the upcoming season. 

The men's team will have a few new faces and will be led by senior Aaron Osmond (Cheltenham, U.K.) who received Honorable Mention All-GLIAC honors in 2022.

"We are very young, but we have a lot of talent," Head Coach Luke Ogren said when asked about the thoughts of the team. "It's looking promising at the moment, but we will learn a lot once we actually start playing matches." 

The women are represented by a few returners including Maddie Whip (Sydney, Australia), who was named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year after a strong 2021-22 season. 

"Maddie definitely provides us with confidence knowing she is always going to have a good chance to win regardless of who she plays," said Ogren.

The Lakers will open up dual match play on Thursday against a Tiffin tennis program that saw both their men's and women's teams win their conference tournaments and receive automatic bids to the Midwest Regional. The Dragons also boast one of the best men's tennis players in NCAA Division II in Ruben Fonga who entered the year as the sixth-ranked singles player in the nation in the ITA Division II Men's Singles Preseason Poll.

The Lakers host the Dragons on Thursday, Feb. 2 in the Student Activities Center with first serve of the women's match scheduled for 10 a.m. with the men's team following at approximately 2 p.m.