GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Sitting 27^th in this week's national rankings, the Colorado Mesa University men's tennis team will get a chance to play at home for the first time this season when the Mavericks host the Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans in a Sunday doubleheader at the Elliott Tennis Center.
 
The duals are slated to begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
 
They will also be the Mavs' first two duals of the year against fellow Pacific West Conference foes as the Mavs begin a key stretch of their season.
 
CMU will enter Sunday with a 6-5 overall record, including a 3-3 record against Division II opposition.  They are 3-5 in the spring portion of the campaign.
 
The Vulcans are currently 2-0 after claiming 5-2 and 5-1 wins over Southern New Hampshire on Oah'u on Sunday and Monday.  They are playing against MSU Denver on Friday and Saturday before heading over the Rocky Mountains to face the Mavs.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Mavericks were off last week after going 1-2 during a trip to Kearney, Nebraska for three indoor matches.
 
On that trip, the Mavs dominated NAIA Hastings, 7-0 before dropping matches to Nebraska-Kearney and Rockhurst by 6-1 and 4-1 scores, respectively.
 
The Mavs went 8-8 in singles matches throughout the weekend with William Leschig and Romain Payan both going 2-1 at the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively.
 
Payan and Pfingston also went 2-1 together at No. 3 doubles.
 
ITA Rankings
 
The Mavericks sit 27^th as a team in the ITA's latest NCAA Division II Team Rankings, published on Wednesday (Mar. 5).  They are the third of three Pac West teams in the rankings, which now rate the top 50 teams in the country.  The rankings only included 25 teams in earlier editions this season.

Azusa Pacific is ranked tenth while Concordia University Irvine is currently tabbed 23^rd.
 
Nebraska-Kearney and Rockhurst were not included in earlier rankings but are now sitting 32^nd and 31^st, respectively. 
 
The Mavs have split two match-ups with Nebraska-Kearney, defeating the Lopers in the fall.
 
The Mavs have also played nationally-ranked Lubbock Christian and Western New Mexico this season.  The Mavs beat Lubbock Christian, currently ranked seventh, on Sept. 13, the same day they beat Nebraska-Kearney.
 
Western New Mexico, is currently ranked 39^th and beat the Mavericks on Feb. 14 in Arizona.
 
An explanation of the rankings algorithm, can be seen here.
 
PacWest Play Begins
 
Sunday's doubleheader will mark the start of the Mavs' PacWest schedule.  The Mavs will play their next nine and ten out of their next 11 matches against conference opposition.
 
Although there is no formal conference schedule, the head-to-head match-ups between conference teams will play a large part in the selection process for the Apr. 17-19 PacWest Championship Tournament in Surprise, Arizona.  Eight of the conference's 12 men's teams will ultimately be selected.
 
CMU is slated to play eight of their conference rivals over the next month, including an upcoming Mar. 15-20 Spring Braek stretch in California, where the Mavs will play six PacWest foes.
 
In addition to Sunday's doubleheader with the Vulcans, CMU is also slated to take on in-state and long-standing rival MSU Denver in a home-and-home series on Apr. 4 in Grand Junction and Apr. 11 in Denver.
 
For all the latest around the conference, please read this week's PacWest Men's Tennis Weekly.
 
Rare Home Matches
 
Sunday's doubleheader will be half of the Mavs' total home schedule for the year.  The Mavs only other home contests will come on Apr. 4 against MSU Denver and on Apr. 5 against NCAA Division III Colorado College.
 
The Mavs also only had four home matches in 2024 and were home just twice in 2023.
 
Double-Digit Sunday?
 
Three different Maverick players could reach the 10-win mark for singles on Sunday as Emil Hultman and Henry Scheck currently have nine singles wins this season.  Romain Payan is right behind with eight.
 
Hultman is a team-best 9-6 overall and sports a 6-3 dual meet mark, including a 6-2 mark at No. 5.
 
Scheck has been in the top spot of Head Coach Dan MacDonald's lineup sheet in each of the last five duals and is 9-8 overall, including a 4-6 dual meet mark.
 
Payan is 8-8 overall and sports a 5-5 dual meet mark.  He is 5-4 at No. 3 and received one spot start against Idaho State.
 
Scheck and doubles partner William Leschig could also get to ten doubles wins on Sunday and will enter the day with an 8-8 overall record, including a 4-6 mark in team matches.  They have played mostly at No. 2 doubles this spring.  
 
About the Vulcans
 
As mentioned in the opening, the Vulcans enter their 4-match, 3-day stay in Colorado with a 2-0 record having swept Southern New Hampshire on Oah'u, a short inter-island flight away from their home island of Hawai'i (a.ka. The "Big" Island).
 
They will play MSU Denver at the United Stats Air Force Academy on Friday and Saturday.
 
Three different Vulcan players went 2-0 against the Penmen with Jaime Paquet leading the way, picking up a win in both the first and second flights.  Sergi Tintore also went 2-0 at No. 3 while Agustin Gentile was 2-0 at No. 4.
 
The Vulcans were also able to win the doubles point in both duals against Southern New Hampshire, taking two of the three doubles matches in each.    Tintore and Coby Pearce went 2-0 at No. 2.
 
Last year's Vulcan squad went 7-9 and took seventh at the Pacific West Conference Championship Tournament with a 1-2 record.
 
The Vulcans were picked seventh out of 12 teams in the PacWest Preseason Coaches' Poll, two spots ahead of the Mavs, who checked in tied for ninth in the poll with MSU Denver.
 
They had two All-PacWest singles players and one all-conference doubles duo last year but lost all to graduation.
 
Series History
 
The Maverick men are 1-6 all-time against the Vulcans and have played them six times over the past three seasons when both have been in the PacWest.  The only meeting prior to that stretch was in 2007.
 
The teams faced each other three times last year with the Vulcans winning a pair of 4-1 decisions at the Elliott Tennis Center on Mar. 10 before squeaking out a 4-3 win neutral-site win over the Mavs just nine days later in Azusa, California.
 
The teams split a pair of neutral-court matches in 2023, with CMU claiming a 4-0 win over the Vulcans on Mar. 20, 2023 in Fresno, California, CMU's only win in the rivalry.

The Vulcans are 3-0 all-time against the Mavs in Grand Junction.
 
Up Next
 
The Mavs will head off on their Spring Break trip to California, playing six PacWest foes in the same number of days from Mar. 15-20.   They are slated to play twice on Mar. 18 and will have Mar. 16 off from competitive action in their travels, which will see them play in La Mirada, Santa Barbara, three times in Fresno and then at nationally-ranked Azusa Pacific to wrap up the stretch.