Men's tennis picked to repeat as Horizon League South Division champions

INDIANAPOLIS For the third year in a row, the Belmont University men's tennis team has been picked to win the Horizon League South Division title. The two-time defending Horizon League South Division champion Bruins earned 21 points and a first-place finish in the 2025 Under Armor Horizon League Men's Tennis South Division Preseason Poll, which was unveiled Friday afternoon.

.@BelmontMTennis returns at the top of the Southern Division in 2025 @Underarmour Gentlemen #HLTennis Preseason Poll after finishing second in the League last season!

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Horizon League (@HorizonLeague) January 10, 2025

Belmont hasn't lost a conference game since 2021 and enters the 2025 campaign on a 19-game league winning streak. The Bruins have gone undefeated in conference play for three consecutive seasons and are a perfect 15-0 in Horizon League play over the past two years.

Last season, Belmont went 5-0 in the Horizon League and reached the conference tournament championship game for the second straight year.

Cleveland State, which topped the Bruins in the 2024 Horizon League Championship title game as the winner of the league's North Division, was picked to repeat as Horizon League North Division champions. The Vikings were also named as favorites to win the league overall in the Horizon League Preseason Poll.

Both Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech earned two first-place finishes in the Horizon League South Division Preseason Poll. The Tigers were selected second in the predicted preseason finishing order for the league's Southern division, followed by the Golden Eagles third, Southern Indiana fourth and Eastern Illinois fifth.

Belmont opens its spring championship season Monday afternoon at 13th-ranked Tennessee. First service from the Goodfriend Tennis Center in Knoxville is scheduled for 2 p.m. It will be the Bruins' first visit to Knoxville since taking on the Volunteers in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Championship.

Belmont begins its home indoor slate, hosting NAIA Cumberland University (Tenn.) on Friday, Jan. 24 at the Ensworth Tennis Center. The Bruins begin their home outdoor schedule on Friday, March 7, with nearby rival Lipscomb visiting the Beaman Family Tennis Complex. Belmont's home games this winter and spring also include Austin Peay (Jan. 25) and North Alabama (Jan. 26) indoors at the Ensworth Tennis Center and Southern Indiana (March 22) and Eastern Illinois (March 29) at the Beaman Family campus . Tennis complex.

The Bruins will only compete against Horizon League South Division teams during the regular season. The Bruins' other two regular season games are April 5 against crosstown foe Tennessee State and April 19 against Tennessee Tech.

In addition to Tennessee's top 15 season opener, Belmont's non-conference schedule includes big road games against cross-town rival Vanderbilt (Feb. 1), Louisville (Feb. 2), Ole Miss (Feb. 8), DePaul (Feb. 21), Auburn (13 March) and Memphis (March 30).

The 2025 Horizon League Championship will take place Friday through Sunday, April 27, on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Bruins won the 2023 Horizon League Championship title when the league tournament was last hosted at the Varsity Tennis Center in Michigan.

Belmont was ranked ninth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Ohio Valley Region at the end of last season.

Together with a graduate Diego Britt-Alvarez (Tennessee State), junior Eli Mizersky (George Fox University), junior Esunge Ndumbe (Ferris State), freshman Charlie Robinjunior Sabi Roi (Tennessee Wesleyan) and freshman Morgan Woodsonall of whom arrived at Belmont last summer, second-year head coaches Jeff zero has brought in two more newcomers for the spring semester. Both sophomore Utah State transfers Stefan Vedovelli (Trento, Italy) and freshman Stephen Ortiz (La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland) recently arrived in the Music City and looks to be an immediate contributor for the Bruins.

Under Armor Horizon League Men's Tennis Preseason Survey 2025

North Division points (first place votes)

1. Cleveland State 24 (4)
2. Youngstown State 21 (1)
3. IE Indianapolis 13
4. Northern Kentucky 12
5. Chicago State 5

Southern Division Points (First Place Votes)
1. Belmont 21 (1)

2. State of Tennessee 19 (2)
3.Tennessee Tech 18 (2)
4. Southern Indiana 9
5. Eastern Illinois 8

How to follow

Follow Belmont men's tennis on social media @BelmontMTennison X, formerly Twitter, and @belmonttennison Instagram for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs atofficial app of the Belmont BruinsAvailable both in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

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