Men’s Tennis Announces 2025 Schedule
1/14/2025 2:01:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Columbia opens the season Friday at the Fighting Illini Invite
NEW YORK – Bidyut K. Goswami Head Coach of Men's Tennis Howard Endelman announced Columbia's 2025 schedule Tuesday, which includes 13 home contests at the Philip and Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center.
Columbia's schedule features matches against at least nine teams that played in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Lions will play either Middle Tennessee State or Florida on the second day of ITA Kickoff Weekend. Columbia will then play Pepperdine, Michigan, Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, NC State, Wake Forest and San Diego. If the Lions advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, there will be additional matches against the top teams in college tennis.
Columbia starts the 2025 slate ranked No. 8 in the ITA Preseason Coaches Poll. Six teams on the Lions' schedule were also ranked in the Top 25 to start the season – No. 4 Wake Forest, No. 16 San Diego, No. 21 Harvard, No. 22 NC State, No. 24 Florida and No. 25 Michigan.
Columbia kicks off the spring schedule at the Fighting Illini Invite starting Friday in Champaign, Illinois. The Lions will compete in singles, doubles and hidden duals against Boise State and Illinois.
The Lions will host Miami for the first dual match of the season and the home opener as part of ITA Kickoff Weekend on Saturday, January 25. The Lions will then play either Florida or Middle Tennessee State on Sunday. Columbia will host Miami, Florida and Middle Tennessee State in the four-team field. One team will advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February.
Columbia will continue its homestand with matches against Hofstra (January 31), NC State (February 2), Wake Forest (February 8) and Michigan (February 9) following the ITA Kickoff Weekend.
If Columbia qualifies, the ITA National Team Indoor Championships will take place from Friday, February 14 until Monday, February 17. Teams are guaranteed three matches between Friday and Sunday with the championship match taking place on Monday.
The Lions return home for three more matches against Tulsa (February 28), Penn State (March 2) and Delaware (March 8) before heading to California to play at San Diego (March 17) and Pepperdine (March 21).
The Ivy League slate begins with a home match against Cornell on March 29. Columbia also hosts Brown (April 5), Yale (April 6) and Penn (April 11) as part of the Ivy League schedule. The Lions travel to Princeton (April 13), Harvard (April 19) and Dartmouth (April 20) to wrap up the regular season.
Columbia looks to continue its success following the best season in program history in 2024 that saw Columbia advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time ever. Columbia knocked off 13 opponents ranked inside the ITA Top 75 along the way and peaked at No. 4 in the ITA Rankings on February 20, 2024, which is the highest ranking in program history. The Lions defeated then No. 13 Harvard in a hard-fought 4-3 home victory that helped seal Columbia's 17th conference championship and the first Ivy League Championship during Endelman's tenure as head coach.
Following the NCAA Team Championships, Michael Zheng competed in the NCAA Singles Championships, while Zheng and Theo Winegar competed in the NCAA Doubles Championships. Zheng continued an already historic season as he made a run to the NCAA Singles Championship match, finishing as the 2024 runner-up. Zheng also earned singles All-American honors for the second season in a row. Zheng was named the ITA National Player to Watch following the conclusion of the season.
Zheng continued his successful collegiate career this fall as he became Columbia's first NCAA singles champion of the modern era. The three-time All-American defeated Michigan State's Ozan Baris, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to claim the singles crown this past November in Waco, Texas. Zheng is the first Lion to win a singles title since Robert LeRoy won the title in both 1904 and 1906. Zheng is the first men's singles champion from an Ivy League school since Lucien Williams (Yale) won a title in 1922.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Men's Tennis by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
Columbia's schedule features matches against at least nine teams that played in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Lions will play either Middle Tennessee State or Florida on the second day of ITA Kickoff Weekend. Columbia will then play Pepperdine, Michigan, Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, NC State, Wake Forest and San Diego. If the Lions advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, there will be additional matches against the top teams in college tennis.
Columbia starts the 2025 slate ranked No. 8 in the ITA Preseason Coaches Poll. Six teams on the Lions' schedule were also ranked in the Top 25 to start the season – No. 4 Wake Forest, No. 16 San Diego, No. 21 Harvard, No. 22 NC State, No. 24 Florida and No. 25 Michigan.
Columbia kicks off the spring schedule at the Fighting Illini Invite starting Friday in Champaign, Illinois. The Lions will compete in singles, doubles and hidden duals against Boise State and Illinois.
The Lions will host Miami for the first dual match of the season and the home opener as part of ITA Kickoff Weekend on Saturday, January 25. The Lions will then play either Florida or Middle Tennessee State on Sunday. Columbia will host Miami, Florida and Middle Tennessee State in the four-team field. One team will advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February.
Columbia will continue its homestand with matches against Hofstra (January 31), NC State (February 2), Wake Forest (February 8) and Michigan (February 9) following the ITA Kickoff Weekend.
If Columbia qualifies, the ITA National Team Indoor Championships will take place from Friday, February 14 until Monday, February 17. Teams are guaranteed three matches between Friday and Sunday with the championship match taking place on Monday.
The Lions return home for three more matches against Tulsa (February 28), Penn State (March 2) and Delaware (March 8) before heading to California to play at San Diego (March 17) and Pepperdine (March 21).
The Ivy League slate begins with a home match against Cornell on March 29. Columbia also hosts Brown (April 5), Yale (April 6) and Penn (April 11) as part of the Ivy League schedule. The Lions travel to Princeton (April 13), Harvard (April 19) and Dartmouth (April 20) to wrap up the regular season.
Columbia looks to continue its success following the best season in program history in 2024 that saw Columbia advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time ever. Columbia knocked off 13 opponents ranked inside the ITA Top 75 along the way and peaked at No. 4 in the ITA Rankings on February 20, 2024, which is the highest ranking in program history. The Lions defeated then No. 13 Harvard in a hard-fought 4-3 home victory that helped seal Columbia's 17th conference championship and the first Ivy League Championship during Endelman's tenure as head coach.
Following the NCAA Team Championships, Michael Zheng competed in the NCAA Singles Championships, while Zheng and Theo Winegar competed in the NCAA Doubles Championships. Zheng continued an already historic season as he made a run to the NCAA Singles Championship match, finishing as the 2024 runner-up. Zheng also earned singles All-American honors for the second season in a row. Zheng was named the ITA National Player to Watch following the conclusion of the season.
Zheng continued his successful collegiate career this fall as he became Columbia's first NCAA singles champion of the modern era. The three-time All-American defeated Michigan State's Ozan Baris, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to claim the singles crown this past November in Waco, Texas. Zheng is the first Lion to win a singles title since Robert LeRoy won the title in both 1904 and 1906. Zheng is the first men's singles champion from an Ivy League school since Lucien Williams (Yale) won a title in 1922.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Men's Tennis by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
Players Mentioned
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