BILLINGS, Mont. – Getting set for its longest road trip of the season, the Montana State University Billings men's tennis team will face five schools next week in Orlando, Fla., as the spring season continues.
 
The Yellowjackets will kick off the week against Davenport University on Saturday with an 11:30 a.m. Mountain time match, followed by a 7 a.m. Mountain time start against Florida Southern and a 3 p.m. tilt against Grand Valley State scheduled for Sunday.
 
Moving into next week, MSUB will then take on Cedarville University on Monday at 9:30 a.m., and will wrap up the trip on Tuesday with a 4:30 p.m. match against University of Detroit Mercy.
 
"Our men should have some good matchups in the teams we are facing this weekend," said MSUB head coach Becky King. "This trip will give us plenty of match play to prepare for our conference matches coming up."
 
The Yellowjackets (0-2) opened their spring season last weekend with matches against NCAA Division I opponents Montana State University and Utah State University at the Bobcat Tennis Center. The 'Jackets fell 7-0 in both matches, but fought well overall against the tough competition.
 
"Our doubles team of Santiago de la Rosa Mora and Austin Kische has been working hard in practice and will lead our men at number one doubles," King said. "They work well together on the court and are showing great leadership in our doubles lineup."
 
Junior Brandon Beardsley and de la Rosa Mora will each also be looked upon to provide a boost for the Yellowjackets in singles play. "Both of those guys had close matches against their opponents last weekend so I am expecting wins out of both of them this week," King said.
 
The Yellowjackets will remain without junior Josh Hedderig this week, who is recovering from an injury that sidelined him for MSUB's first two matches of the season.
 
Saturday, Feb. 28 – 11:30 a.m. MTN
Davenport University Panthers
 
Competing in the NAIA, Davenport has begun its 2015 spring schedule with a 1-2 record. Most recently, the Panthers defeated Chestnut Hill College 8-1 after losses to No. 15 Northwood University (Fla.) and Northwood University (Mich.).
 
DU completed a clean sweep in singles play against Chestnut Hill, with five players winning in straight sets over their opponents. Haja Denise and Kevin Slagh teamed up at No. 2 doubles for the win and Juan-Philip van Antwerpen and Matthew Boyle took an 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles in the Panthers' most recent match.
 
The Series: This will be the first time that MSUB has faced Davenport in the program's history on the men's side.
 
Sunday, March 1 – 7 a.m. MTN
Florida Southern College Mocs
 
Opening their spring season with four-straight losses, Florida Southern is scheduled to take on Rollins and Eckerd before facing the Yellowjackets on Sunday. FSC's most competitive match of the spring so far was a 6-3 loss at Flagler, as Charles Garneau and Brian Silvonik each won their singles matches, and Arthur Vialleneix and Blaine Miller teamed up at No. 3 doubles for an 8-2 win.
 
The Mocs, who compete at the NCAA Division II level, most recently faced a pair of highly-ranked teams, losing to No. 2 Embry-Riddle 9-0 on Feb. 14 and falling to No. 14 Saint Leo 9-0 at home on Feb. 18.
 
The Series: MSUB and FCS have never faced one another before next week's scheduled match.
 
Sunday, March 1 – 3 p.m. MTN
Grand Valley State University Lakers
 
After a pair of 7-2 victories to open its spring season, Grand Valley State will open Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play against Ferris State on Wednesday before next week's match against the Yellowjackets.
 
GVSU defeated NAIA No. 17 Northwestern on Feb. 22, as Zach Phillips and Alex van de Steenoven won 8-5 at No. 2 doubles and Quinn Sylow and Jack Heiniger won 8-4 at No. 3 doubles. In singles play the Lakers won 5 of 6 matches, mirroring their road to victory in a 7-2 win over Davenport on Feb. 6.
 
The Series: GVSU and MSUB met for the first time ever last season, with the Lakers picking up a big 8-1 win on March 7, 2014.
 
Monday, March 2 – 9:30 a.m. MTN
Cedarville University Yellow Jackets
 
Sharing the same mascot as MSUB, Cedarville has yet to play a match in the spring of 2015. CU, which is based in Ohio, is also scheduled to play five matches during its trip to Orlando, and will kick off the week with Monday's meeting with the Yellowjackets.
 
CU's roster features a trio of seniors, with 6-foot-5 right-hander John Filcik leading the team as the No. 1 player.
 
The Series: Having faced CU twice in previous seasons during the Orlando trip, MSUB is 2-0 against the Yellow Jackets all-time. Last season, MSUB picked up an 8-1 victory on March 5, after a 9-0 triumph on March 7, 2013.
 
Tuesday, March 3 – 4:30 p.m. MTN
University of Detroit Mercy Titans
 
The Titans are 1-5 overall so far this spring, and snapped a four-game losing streak that opened the season with a 6-1 victory over Wayne State on Feb. 6.
 
Most recently, Mercy lost to Green Bay 5-2 in their first Horizon Conference match of the season. Rafael Orantes and Nathan Ponton each won their singles matches for the Titans against Green Bay.
 
The Series: Tuesday's match between the Titans and Yellowjackets will be the first-ever between the programs.