FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Fairfield University men's tennis team will travel to Newark, N.J. to compete against NJIT on Friday, January 31 at 6pm at the Naimoli Family Athletic and Recreational Facility.
 
Fairfield vs. NJIT: Friday's match will be the first time the Stags and Highlanders have faced one another since February 12, 2011. In that match, Fairfield defeated NJIT, 4-2, at the Stamford Indoor Tennis Club in Stamford, Conn. The match was decided in singles play because of time. Erik Kremheller clinched the win for the Stags with a solid performance at No. 4 singles. Dennis Zlobinsky battled it out with Joao Tasca and came out with victories 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3 singles. At No. 5 singles, R.J. Mirabile fell to Martin Cedegvist 6-3, 6-4. Reece Breault split the first two sets with Bryan Keelan, but fell in a hard fought third set, 6-7, 6-3, 9-11 in the number six spot.
 
A Look at the Highlanders: The NJIT men's tennis team is 3-0 on the season so far. The Highlanders have picked up victories over Rider, Sacred Heart, and Saint Peter's. In their fall season, NJIT competed in four tournaments including the USTA Invitational, Columbia Classic, ITA Regionals, and the Winthrop Invitational. The Highlanders will be coming off a 7-0 victory over Saint Peter's on January 26.   
 
Last Time Out: The Fairfield University men's tennis team topped Boston University, 4-1, on January 26 at Boston Unversity's Track & Tennis Center. At No. 3 doubles, George Tioutine and Bjorn Merinder downed Stefan Lemire and Lucas Bombonatti, 6-4. At the second spot, Ofir Solomon and Zlobinsky teamed up to defeat Jesse Frieder and Jake De Vries, 6-5(3). At No. 1 doubles, Ian Tesmond and Cameron Amyot were tied with their BU counterparts, 5-5, when the Stags won the point and play was called. At No. 1 singles, Tesmond pulled out a 6-4, 6-5(2) win over C. Varapongsittikul. Tioutine defeated Frieder, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at No. 2 singles while Merinder posted a 6-3, 6-5(5) win over Emilio Teran at No. 5 singles.

Looking Ahead: After Friday's contest, the Fairfield men's tennis team (3-0) will return home to host Hartford on February 7 at 8pm at the Stamford Indoor Tennis Club in Stamford, Conn.