WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita State men's tennis team makes the trip to Starkville, Miss. for ITA Kick-Off Weekend, Jan. 26-27 at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
 
WSU returns to ITA Kick-Off Weekend for the first time since 2016-17, and fourth time overall. The Shockers will open against No. 3 Mississippi State on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. Arizona will take on UNC-Wilmington in a battle of the two and three seeds.
 
About ITA Kick-Off Weekend
ITA Kick-Off Weekend is in its 11^th season, and is made up of 60 teams competing at 24 different Division I tennis facilities across the country. 15 regional sites are made up of four teams, with the winner of the event advancing to the ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championships next month. 2017-18 ITA/Oracle Rankings were used to determine host sites for the event, and a draft was held to fill seeds two-through-four.
 
The Field
No. 3 Mississippi State opens the spring season against Wichita State. The Bulldogs are led by Nuno Borges, who ranks No. 11 to start the 2019 season. Borges compiled a 16-5 dual match record last season, on his way to the semifinal of the NCAA Individual Championships. Niclas Braun (No. 67), Florian Broska (No. 78) and Trevor Foshey (No. 93) are among the other Bulldogs in the top-100. The Bulldogs went 23-3 in 2017-18, including a quarterfinal berth at the NCAA Team Championships. Head Coach Matt Roberts is in his 6^th year at the helm, and has compiled an 83-29 record.
 
Series History
First Meeting
 
Arizona
The Wildcats are off to a 2-0 start to the 2019 season with wins over UC-Riverside (6-1) and Grand Canyon (5-2). Igor Karpovets is off to a 2-0 start in flight one.
 
Series History
Arizona leads – 3-0
Last Meeting- Feb. 12, 2004 in Tucson, Ariz. (No. 38 Arizona 6, WSU 1)
 
UNC-Wilmington
UNCW is 1-1 to start the season, with a win over Brigham Young (4-3) and a loss to Florida Atlantic (4-3).
 
Series History
First Meeting
 
Last Time Out
The Shockers collected a 5-2 decision over Denver on Jan. 19 in Wichita. WSU clinched the doubles point with wins in flights one and two. Murkel Dellien and Haru Inoue are off to a 2-0 start in flight two. In singles, flights one-through-three collected wins, and Andrea Caligiana pushed the Shocker lead with a three-set win in flight five.
 
Shockers at ITA Kick-Off Weekend
The 2019 season marks the fourth overall time the Shockers have competed in ITA Kick-Off Weekend, and the first since 2016-17.
 
2017 – Fort Worth, Texas
First Round – Utah State 4, WSU 1
Consolation – WSU 4, Pacific 3
 
2016– Columbus, Ohio
First Round – No. 9 Ohio State 4, WSU 0
Consolation –WSU 5, No. 51 South Carolina 2
 
2014 – Los Angeles, Calif.
First Round - WSU 4,  Georgia State 3
Championship – USC 4, WSU 0