MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois men's tennis team will open its 2011 spring season on the road this Sunday (Jan. 23) with two dual matches against St. Francis and Chicago State. The St. Francis contest, in Lockport, Ill., starts at 9 a.m. while the Chicago State contest will begin at 3 p.m.  

The Leathernecks, picked fourth in The Summit League preseason poll, are under the guidance of first-year head coach Chris Kane and newly hired assistant coach Joe Campagna. Campagna, who played under Kane at Lake Forest College, will make his coaching debut Saturday. 

"Joe is a great addition to our program," Western Illinois head coach Chris Kane said. "He was a winner throughout his college career and served as team captain three times. You're not elected a three-time captain by your teammates unless you are a great leader. He is also the winningest tennis player in the 81-year history of Lake Forest College and that is a testament to Joe's refusal to lose. That is a tremendous example for our players."

"I am working on trying to improve the mental toughness of our players," Kane added. "Joe is a great example to point to because you can never tell by looking at him whether he's winning or losing. Opponents hate that and I want our players to have that same confidence."

Western returns six players from last Spring, when the Leathernecks qualified for The Summit League postseason tournament for the seventh straight season. The squad will be led by senior Jeff Cote, who was named the 2010 Summit League Newcomer of the Year after going 8-12 at No. 1 singles including a 3-1 mark in conference action.

Fellow seniors Alejandro Buceta (9-6 last spring) and Francisco Ortiz (two wins at both No. 2 and No. 3 singles) join Cote in the lineup. Juniors Jim Capalbo (7-11 overall, 2-0 at No. 4 spot) and Mandela Shepard (4-5 combined at No. 1 and No. 2 singles) are also back, as well as sophomore Patrick Hammers - who collected nine wins in the spring and earned Summit League Player of the Week honors for the week on April 20, 2010. Ben Yue, who was listed at No. 3 in the UTSA Middle Illinois District boys' 18 and under rankings last spring, is the lone freshman on this year's squad.

"I like how our players are hitting the ball coming back from a month of break," Kane added. "Jeff Cote is his usual competitive self, Francisco Ortiz is playing with a great deal of confidence, and Alejandro Buceta tells me he is playing far better than last year. Jim Capalbo and Mandela Shepard took to heart the improvements I asked them to make. They both worked particularly hard over the break. Jim is serving much better than in the past, and Mandela is hitting the ball particularly cleanly as a result of making his strokes more compact."

In the 2010 Fall campaign, Western hosted the 6th Annual Art Peterson Invitational (Sept. 10-11), played in the River Forest Tennis Club Invitational (Sept. 17-19), and concluded the schedule at the ITA Central Regional in Norman, Okla. (Oct. 21-25).

At the Art Peterson, the Leathernecks collected three second-place finishes (Cote, Ortiz Yue) in the singles brackets and one (Capalbo/Buceta) in the doubles bracket. Buceta and Yue captured the 'C' Flight doubles bracket at River Forest, while Cote picked up a win over a nationally ranked opponent (Nebraska's Eric Sock – No. 41) in the consolation draw of the ITAs.

"It is great to start the spring season," Kane said. "We will use the non-conference season to hopefully play to top form leading into the Summit League matches in March and April. Like the women's team, the men play a demanding schedule competing against players from many of the best teams in the country."

St. Francis, who competes in the NAIA, defeated Bethel College in its lone Fall match on Sept. 18. The Leathernecks swept all courts in doubles action on the way to a 6-1 win over St. Francis the last time the two programs met on April 17, 2010 in Macomb.

Western picked up a 4-1 victory on April 5, 2009 in Macomb the last time it matched up with Chicago State.

"St. Francis and Chicago State are both good teams and we better be ready to play," Kane said. "It is always a little nerve-wracking the first weekend of spring competition, as both teams could be surprised positively or negatively. We are very excited to play, though."