The Pitt-Bradford men's tennis team kicks off the spring portion of its schedule Thursday in Olean, N.Y., at 6:15 p.m. with a non-conference match against the Houghton Highlanders.

The Panthers played a pair of matches in the fall, dropping a narrow decision to the Highlanders before bouncing back to defeat Geneva. Thursday's matchup with Houghton will be the first of two in three days for the Blue and Gold; Pitt-Bradford squares off with Ohio Northern Saturday in Erie.

The Panthers return eight players from a year ago, including senior Kosta Teverovskiy, who has anchored the No. 1 singles position for the last three years. He led the team with five individual wins a year ago.

Seniors Rilan Galicic and Zach Hadfield and sophomores Matt Dennis, Alex Jadlowiec and John Parsell also return and will provide the Panthers with leadership. Galicic and Parsell were undefeated in doubles play together last year, and Jadlowiec was third on the team with three wins in singles action.

The Panthers dealt with a rash of injuries last season, and head coach Susan Schenfield believes better health and consistency will lead to improved results in 2017.

"We had high expectations last year, and when plagued with injuries we lacked the finish we wanted," said Schenfield, who is her ninth season leading the program. "We have been working hard and chasing the same goal we had last year—maintaining 100 percent energy in both practices and matches."

Sophomores Michael Grudzien and Andrew Hoyt and freshmen Tyler Dugan, Drew Palta and Tyler Richmond will add to the team's depth. Of the five newcomers, only Dugan and Richmond saw action in the fall. Dugan went 2-0 in singles play, and Richmond teamed with Jadlowiec in doubles to earn a win against Geneva.

Schenfield expects the conference race to be tight once again, and the matches with Houghton and Ohio Northern will serve as an early-season barometer for the Panthers. AMCC play ramps up in March, and Pitt-Bradford has a key stretch of four league matches in eight days in early April.

"The majority of the teams have kept their returning rosters and improved their lineups," Schenfield said. "We need to stay sharp mentally, be stingy on our errors and continue to stay 100 percent energized. If we do, the results will come."