GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After getting their season started at last weekend's MSU Denver Fall Invitational on the individual level, the Colorado Mesa University men's tennis team will head to Pueblo and Pueblo City Park this Friday and Saturday to begin the team dual meet portion of their season.
 
The Maverick men will have two matches and will face Dallas Baptist at 12:30 p.m. on Friday and Texas Permian-Basin at 8 o'clock on Saturday morning.
 
The two matches will be CMU's only dual meet action of the fall portion of the season.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Mavericks played in last weekend's MSU Denver Fall Invitational.  Moises Cure recorded four wins to lead the Mavericks while advancing to the Back Draw finals in both singles and doubles.  He went 2-2 overall in the B singles draw while teaming with Christian Albrechtsen for a 2-1 mark in doubles play, with both wins coming over MSU Denver duos.  Their back draw final was not played.
 
A look at the Lineup
 
Here is a look at Coach Dan MacDonald's probable lineup, subject to change, for this weekend's action.
 
Singles

1. Steven Howe
2. Jorge Abreu
3. Christian Albrechtsen
4. Moises Cure
5. Jandre van Wyk
6. Tegan Hartman

Exhibitions/Reserves: Wayne Aggen, Brandon Keller 

Doubles

1. Albrechtsen/Cure
2. Howe/Abreu
3. Van Wyk/Hartman

Newcomers Jorge Abreu, a transfer from Collin College, and Tegan Hartman, a freshman out of Idaho Falls, Idaho, are expected to break into the lineup with Abreu near the top.  Steven Howe, a Third Team All-Pacific West performer, who played mostly at No. 2 singles last year moves up to No. 1, where he did play five times in place of an injured Christian Albrechtsen, who moves to No. 3. 
 
Mosies Cure had a 9-6 singles record last year, including a 6-5 mark at No. 4 last year and is back for that spot while van Wyk, who led all Maverick returners with ten singles wins last year, is expected to return to his No. 5 spot.
 
Albrechtsen and Cure did not play together last year but after a solid start last weekend, are expected to occupy the No. 1 doubles position.  Howe and van Wyk, who set a CMU single-season doubles winning percentage record while earning third team all-conference doubles together, will be split again this weekend pairing with the two Maverick newcomers.  Van Wyk and Hartman did win a match together in the A Draw at last week's tournament.
 
First Fall since 2019
 
Due to COVID ramifications, the Mavericks were not able to play a traditional fall season a year ago.  They did go a solid 3-1 in the fall portion of the 2019-20 campaign, including 5-2 wins over both Dallas Baptist and Texas-Permian Basin, something they will hope to repeat again this weekend.
 
Know your Foes

Dallas Baptist
 
The Patriots are coming off an 11-11 season and went 2-5 in Lone Star Conference play in 2020-21.  They lost six of their final seven matches.
 
This year's squad has already played in two weekend individual tournaments to begin the season.  They began at the Tyler Invite on Sept. 3-4 as senior Grant McKenzie defeated the No. 9 ranked player in the country in a 3-set match.
 
At this past weekend's Collin College Invitational, the Patriots won 12 singles and five doubles matches as Gabe Garrido won his singles flights while McKenzie went 2-1.
 
McKenzie was 10-8 last year in the No. 1 single spot while Aaron Capone returns as well after leading the team with a 13-5 singles record, including a 10-5 mark at No. 2.  Capone and McKenzie were 11-7 together in doubles last season.
 
Texas-Permian Basin
 
The Falcons went 6-10 last season, including a 3-4 mark in Lone Star Conference play,   They did win two of their final four matches and four of their final seven.
 
Coach Stan Anderson has also re-loaded with six new players this year, including three from Europe and three from Texas.
 
Series Histories
 
The Mavericks are 5-0 all-time against Dallas Baptist, including a very tight 4-3 home win over the Patriots back on Mar. 9 of this calendar year in Grand Junction.  The two teams also tangled in the fall of 2019 in Pueblo.  The Mavericks won that Sept. 12 match by a 5-2 score.
 
The Maverick men hold a 5-2 series lead against Texas-Permian Basin.  All but the first of those matches, which was played in 2012 at the U.S. Air Force Academy, have been played in Pueblo during the fall season.  The teams met every year from 2014-19.  CMU won the last meeting 5-2 on Sept. 13, 2019 after the Falcons had claimed 5-2 and 5-4 wins in the two previous years.
 
Up Next
 
The Mavericks will have one week off before completing their brief fall season at the ITA West Regional in Fresno, California.  That tournament will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 2.