SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Augustana College men's tennis (5-4) travels to Puerto Rico for a four-match schedule from March 16 through March 18. The Vikings captured their third straight match finishing 2-0 on Feb. 28 in Storm Lake, Iowa against Grand View and host Buena Vista.
 
Second serve
Augustana will follow their trip to Puerto Rico hosting Morningside College on March 27. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Woodlake Athletic Club.

Vikings capture third straight win on the road
Augustana earned a 7-2 victory over Grand View University opening with two victories at the doubles match. Jared Hofer and Collin Noldner downed GVU's top doubles squad 9-7. Grand View's No. 2 doubles squad defeated Zach Adkins and Jackson Buchanan by a score of 8-6. Reed Ritterbusch and Colan Surratt battled at the No. 3 doubles spot winning 8-6. Hofer was the only Vikings to lose at the singles spot, followed by five Vikings downing their opponent. Augustana then collected their third consecutive win with a shoutout victory of 9-0 in the second leg of their Saturday doubleheader sweeping host Buena Vista to improve to 5-4 on the season. Hofer and Noldner collected a 9-8 win at the top doubles spot. Adkins and Buchanan played No. 2 and won 8-5, following by Baade and Trae Olson powering past the No. 3 singles with an 8-3 win. Hofer got back to his winning ways with a 6-4, 6-0 victory, playing No. 1 singles for the Vikings. Noldner tallied his second singles win of the day, a 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 2. Adkins took the third flight singles match by a score of 6-0, 6-3, followed by Buchanan dominating the No. 4 singles with a 6-3, 6-1 win. Ritterbusch equaled his teammates' winning efforts, coming away with three-set victory of 3-6, 6-0, and 10-3 win. Surratt closed the door on the Beavers at the No. 6 singles, winning 6-0, 6-1.
 
Scouting the competition
Augustana opens their trip against Division III and New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference member Babson College on March 16. The Beavers enter the week with a 2-1 mark, alternating between wins and losses and most recently coming away with an 8-1 win against Vassar. On March 17, the Vikings then square off with Division I Colgate University who enters their Puerto Rico trip with a 7-5 record, winning their last two matches. On March 18 the Vikings will take on UMass Boston (1-2) and the local university Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras to close out their trip.
 
No. 2 doubles holding strong
Augustana's No. 1 doubles pairings have put together a 7-2 record so far this season. With a 9-0 win over Buena Vista on Feb. 28, the pairing of Hofer and Noldner improved to a five-match winning streak and before coming up just short in a loss to St. Cloud State on Feb. 7. The Viking No. 1 pairing is 7-2 on the season, while the No. 2 combo is 5-4.
 
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 45-94 record since 2005. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference does not sponsor men's tennis.