UTICA, NY – The Utica College men's tennis team opens up its 2016 season this weekend as the Pioneers host Empire 8 Conference opponent Houghton College on Friday and travel to conference foe Elmira College on Saturday. The match on Friday is scheduled for 3:30 p.m and will be played on the indoor courts at the newly constructed Todd & Jen Hutton Sports & Recreation Center ... Saturday's match at Elmira is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Experienced Group: The men's tennis team is returning seven players from last year's roster … Senior Edgar Aguilar (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck), junior Joe Castellitto (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac), senior Vinny Ferrone (Elmira, NY/Spencer- Van Etten), senior Jacob Nigolian (Syracuse, NY/Westhill), senior Matt Rogers (East Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden), senior Raphael Warnon (Rock Tavern, NY/Washingtonville) and junior Kevin Vo (Utica, NY/Proctor) all have previous playing experience at UC.

Players to Watch: The Pioneers posted a 2-11 overall ledger last Spring, earning victories over Keuka College and The Sage College's … Matt Rogers (East Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) returns to the courts with the most collegiate playing experience in the group after posting a 5-5 record at second singles last season … He also went 2-6 in second doubles when teaming up with Joe Castellito … Rogers now has ten career victories in singles play for the Pioneers … Raphael Warnon (Rock Tavern, NY/Washingtonville) also has three collegiate victories in singles under his belt over the course of the last three years ... Nigolian earned his first collegiate victory at fourth singles last season. 

Head Coach John Nigro: Head Coach John Nigro has led the men's and women's tennis programs since 1987 ... Heading into his 29th season at the helm, Nigro is the most experienced collegiate coach at UC.

First Match at the Dome: Friday's matchup will mark the inaugural NCAA tennis matches at the recently constructed Todd & Jen Hutton Sports & Recreation Center … The dome – which is the second largest facility of its kind in North America – is 270 feet wide, 500 feet long and 82 feet high … The dome is home to four tennis courts inside of the track which features a Connor Sports "Tru Sport" playing surface … The facility also is home to an eight-lane, 200-meter NCAA competition indoor track (Connor Sports Protraxx surface), a multi-sport artificial turf practice field (FieldTurf), weight area, locker rooms, equipment checkout area and a concession stand.

New Players: UC welcomes four new faces to the men's tennis team this year … Freshman Paul Litvak (Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln), sophomore Daniel Angotti (Auburn, NY/Southern Cayuga), junior Franklin Guebara (Utica, NY/Proctor), and junior Patrick Doan (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) are all new to the men's tennis team this Spring and will look to add depth to the Pioneers roster.
 
Against Houghton: Utica is 0-2 all-time against the Highlanders … Last year, UC fell 7-2 to the Highlanders and in 2014 Houghton topped UC 8-1.
 
Scouting the Highlanders: Houghton is 3-4 overall including a 2-2 home record and a 1-2 record on the road … The Highlanders are coming off of a 9-0 win over D'Youville on March 19.
 
Against Elmira: Utica is 0-5 against the Soaring Eagles over the last five matchups … Utica last beat Elmira 8-1 in 2008.
 
Scouting The Soaring Eagles: Elmira is 6-5 overall with a 6-2 home record and a 0-3 away record … The Soaring Eagles are coming off of a 9-0 win over Keuka on March 19.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers are back in action Wednesday April 6 when the travel to Oswego … The match is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.