VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams are scheduled to open the 2021 season Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at the VSU Tennis Courts versus North Georgia. 
 
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, fans will need to socially distance at home games this season and face coverings will be required at all times for all guests over the age of two (2).
 
The men's team enters 2021 following a 6-4 2020 spring season and a 3-0 mark in Gulf South Conference play.  Last season, returning senior Yohan Nguyen and junior Florian Simbozel were named D2 ITA All-America in doubles.  Nguyen also was named ITA All-America for singles. 
 
Nguyen was named the ITA South Region Senior Player of the Year, while Simbozel was named the ITA South Region Player to Watch for 2021.  Nguyen, a native of Paris, France, completed a standout two-year career for the Blazers as he went 7-1 in singles this spring at the top spot in the Blazer lineup.  He was 2-1 in Gulf South Conference play and finished second in the ITA South Region singles rankings before the season was cancelled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  He is one of two student-athletes from the GSC to earn ITA Singles All-America honors as West Florida's Serdar Bjadjiev is the other.  Nguyen was 5-2 in doubles with Simbozel for the spring and the duo finished fourth in the final South Region rankings. 
 
In the fall of 2019, Nguyen went 1-1 in the ITA Cup and reached the finals of the D2 Men's South Regionals, losing to top-ranked Alejandro Ibanez Gallego of Barry, 1-6, 7-6, 6-3.  Simbozel and Nguyen won the D2 Men's Fall South Regional with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Delta State duo of Hugo Stroppiana-Pillon and Mason Vice.  Nguyen and Simbozel went 9-5 overall in doubles for the season.  Nguyen was 12-3 overall in singles for the year.
 
The Blazers added the services of Christian Wedel, who played at Alabama Huntsville last year before UAH dropped its program.  Wedel went 4-3 in singles last season and 3-4 in doubles for the Chargers, mainly at the No. 2 position in both singles and doubles.  In addition to Wedel, the Blazers added freshman Cameron Henricy Trigolos of Spain.  Junior Adam Kalivoda also returns, along with sophomore Robert Cizek and freshmen Edward Etty and Luca Mack. 
 
VSU was selected 15^th in the Oracle ITA Division II Men's Tennis preseason rankings, released earlier this week.  North Georgia was picked 23^rd in the poll.
 
The North Georgia men's team was 7-1 last season and 2-0 in Peach Belt Conference play before the season was cancelled.  The Nighthawks are led by All-PBC preseason honoree Ryan Gaskin.  He was named to the 2019 ITA Southeast Region Player to Watch.  He was 6-1 in the spring of 2020 at No. 1 singles and teamed with Kevin Magnusson 6-1 at No. 1 doubles.  The duo reached the championship match of the ITA Regionals in fall 2019.
 
In 2019-20, the VSU women's tennis team showed great improvement as it went 4-7 and 3-0 in GSC play.  VSU returns seven of eight players from last season, including senior Estee Widdershoven.  She finished 5-6 at the top spot in the lineup in singles and, paired with Eva Rivoal, was 6-4 in doubles at the top spot.  Also returning this season are juniors Hera Bjork Brynjarsdottir and Amelia Cornwall, along with sophomores Birte Langestein and Rivoal and freshmen Julia Saving and Rachelle Starreveld. 
 
The UNG women's team, ranked 15^th in the preseason Oracle ITA Division II Women's Tennis Top 25, is led by PBC Preseason All-league selection in Vaishali Jorge.  She was a 2019 first-team All-Conference selection in doubles and second team in singles. A senior from London, England, she was named the 2019 PBC Tournament Most Valuable Player in doubles and a PBC Player of the Week. She started the 2020 spring season with a 6-0 mark at #2 singles for the Nighthawks and was 4-1 at #1 doubles. In the fall of 2020, she and her teammate, Claudelle Labonte Frey, won the ITA Southeast Regional doubles championship and Jorge won the ITA fall regional singles title in 2019.  The Nighthawks finished the 2020 season with an 8-0 record and a 2-0 mark in PBC play before the season was cancelled.
 
Following the matches on Saturday, the Blazer tennis teams continue at home Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. versus Flagler and Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. versus Keiser at the VSU Tennis Courts.