Coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, the Valparaiso University men’s tennis team is picked to finish third in the Summit League, based on a preseason poll of the league’s head coaches.

Summit League men’s tennis figures to be highly competitive this season as the Crusaders are one of three teams that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Denver, the Summit League’s four-time defending champion, was picked second behind Drake, which won the Missouri Valley Conference title last season. Valpo, Drake and Illinois State are all first-year affiliate members in the Summit League.

The Crusaders set a school record for wins in a single season for the fourth consecutive year in 2017, going 23-4 overall and an unblemished 7-0 in Horizon League play. They went on to win the Horizon League Tournament title and had a double pair reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Doubles Tournament. Head coach Jim Daugherty, who is back for his 33^rd year in charge of Valpo men’s tennis, was honored as the Horizon League Coach of the Year each of the last two seasons.

Valpo will jump right into Summit League action on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. CT at Match Point Tennis Club in Griffith, Ind. as the Crusaders host defending champion Denver in a battle of two of the team’s top three teams in the preseason poll.