FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University men's tennis team begins its spring campaign Monday morning with a contest at ACC foe Virginia Tech.
 
First serve in Blacksburg is scheduled for 11 a.m. The contest marks Mason's only January match, as the Patriots will take about three weeks off before beginning a four-match series in February.
 
Mason enters the spring season with depth and versatility which should pay dividends during the arduous journey to April's A-10 Championship at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
 
The Patriots' two seniors will command the front of the singles lineup. Edward Ayers, fresh off the first ITA All-America berth in program history, looks to end his Mason career in strong fashion at the No. 1 spot. Ayers earned All-A-10 First Team honors as a junior in 2019 after tallying 10 dual wins and 3 A-10 triumphs.
 
His classmate, Jakob Nielsen, will play at the No. 2 spot after registering five singles tournament victories this fall. Nielsen went 4-2 in conference play last season and notched 10 dual victories overall.
 
This season, the middle of the Mason lineup will feature a bevy of fresh faces. Brothers Rithik Sardana and Rishab Sardana have impressed during the fall season. Rithik tallied four tournament wins, while Rishab sat out this fall after transferring to Mason from BYU.
 
In addition, freshmen Faisal Alrebdi and Momin Khan will look to make an impact this spring for the Green & Gold. They combined to post nine fall singles triumphs and gained valuable doubles experience as well during the autumn ledger.
 
Veterans and doubles stalwarts Ryan Charles and Erick Rivas also should see plenty of singles action during the spring and will look to provide leadership as Mason looks to start matches off strong in the doubles sphere.
 
Sophomore Chanasorn Nakaurai won four times during the fall, Michael Pollatos went 2-2 and won a doubles flight at the River City Open with Khan, while freshman Rami Alkhafaji began his career well with a 5-3 fall singles mark. Alkhafaji picked up a win over Virginia's Jerome Romualdez in September.
 
The Hokies posted a 16-9 record last season, including a solid 6-6 mark in ACC play.