SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana College men's tennis team (2-3) looks to bounce back from last weekend's trip to St. Peter, Minn. losing to Division III and currently 14th-ranked Gustavus Adolphus by a score of 6-3. The Vikings will travel to Grinnell, Iowa to compete against host Grinnell College at 8:30 a.m., followed by Central College at 12 p.m.

Scouting the competition:
           -Grinnell College-
Grinnell enters the weekend with a 2-3 record, but will face Ohio Wesleyan University, Wheaton College, and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at the UW-Whitewater tournament on Friday. Last season, the Pioneers' finished with a 32-6 mark, and went undefeated with a 4-0 record in the Midwest Conference. Grinnell lost to Trinity University at the NCAA Division III National Championships by a score of 5-0 to close out their season.

The Vikings competed against Grinnell last season losing, 5-4. Augustana was down one player having to forfeit two matches, one singles and one doubles, but came out on top with 2-1 lead entering singles play, the Vikings knew they had to earn three victories in five matches because the No. 6 singles match would be forfeited. Jared Hofer earned a tight win over former high school counterpart Elliott Czarnecki 6-3, 7-6 at No. 1 singles. Early season struggles continued for Collin Noldner as he dropped his No. 2 singles match 6-1, 6-1. Jackson Buchanan earned his second single win of the year with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 3. Colan Surratt would earn a split on the day after suffering a 6-2, 6-1 loss at No. 4 singles and Brock Baade dropped his second match of the day by 6-2, 6-1 set scores.
        
        -Central College-
Central College enters the weekend with a 2-0 record, with a 13-10 mark from last season. Central College started their spring season with a 7-2 victory over Morningside College, followed by competing against Knox (Ill.) with an 8-1 victory. The Vikings matched up against Central College in the 2012-13 season, but the match was cancelled in Orlando, Fla. during the spring break trip.

Vikings with experience
Augustana has five athletes from last year's squad that gained valuable experience in either their sophomore or junior seasons. Noldner returns for his senior season after playing No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles last season. Noldner posted a 4-11 singles mark, and finished 4-9 at No. 2 doubles. Returning as Augustana's top player, Hofer led the team in single wins last season, finishing with an 8-7 record as the No. 1 singles player, seven of his eight wins came in straight sets, Hofer finished his season on a five-match win streak. 

Senior Buchanan primarily played No. 3 singles, finishing with a 7-7 singles record last season. Buchanan went 7-5 at No. 3 singles and 0-2 at No. 2 singles, and won four matches in straight sets. Junior Baade finished with a 4-10 record in singles, playing nine matches at No. 5 and one at No. 4. All four singles wins came in straight sets. Baade finished with a 7-7 record at No. 2 doubles. Surratt will be looking to bounce back from a 5-9 year at No. 4 singles. Surratt posted a 4-9 record in doubles, playing primarily with No. 3 Evans Richards last season.

New faces in the crowd
Augustana welcomes four new faces to the men's tennis team this season. Zach Adkins of Maple Grove, Minn., Mark DeSpiegler of Watertown, S.D., Trae Olson of Rapid City, S.D., and Reed Ritterbusch to the 2014-15 roster.

Leading the charge
Head coach Marc Kurtz is in his 11th season at the helm of the Augustana men's tennis program. Under Kurtz, the Vikings have a 42-93 record since 2005. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference does not sponsor men's tennis. 

Second serve
The Vikings head back on the road for a pair of matches on Saturday, Feb. 28 in Storm Lake, Iowa. Augustana will take on Grand View at 2 p.m., followed by Buena Vista at 6 p.m.