The University of Denver men’s tennis team will begin its 2026 season with two home matches at Denver Tennis Park. The Pioneers are set to face Texas Tech on Friday, January 23, at noon Mountain Time, followed by a match against Montana State on Sunday, January 25, at 10:30 a.m.
Friday’s opener is part of a doubleheader with the DU women’s team hosting Seattle later in the day. Admission and parking for all home matches are free. Fans attending Friday’s match can also enjoy complimentary pizza as part of the season-opening festivities.
Denver enters the new season as the preseason favorite in the Summit League and aims to secure its third straight conference title. Five players return from last year’s squad, which finished ranked No. 59 nationally and made its tenth appearance at the NCAA National Championships.
Graduate student Connor Robb-Wilcox and seniors Ryoma Mishiro and Raffaello Papajcik lead this year’s roster after combining for 56 singles wins last season. Sophomores Theo Coats and Samuel Rovai also return; Coats posted a 12-2 singles record during fall play in 2025, while Rovai was named a Summit League Player to Watch after earning 23 wins as a freshman.
Two freshmen join Denver this year: Aaron Beduhn, who tallied 11 singles victories and nine doubles wins during fall competition, and Joshua Aston, who arrives with an ITF junior ranking high of No. 529 achieved last year.
Last season, Denver successfully defended its Summit League championship and finished with an overall dual record of 18-7 (5-0 in league play), including victories over nationally ranked Utah State and New Mexico teams. Raffaello Papajcik advanced to the NCAA Division I Singles Championships—becoming the first DU men’s player to win a singles match at that level—and earned recognition as ITA Mountain Region’s Most Improved Player.
In series history against their upcoming opponents, Denver has won once in eight meetings with Texas Tech—their most recent contest being a Texas Tech victory in Lubbock in 2022. Against Montana State, DU holds seven wins out of eight matches and swept MSU at home last January.
After these opening contests, Denver will continue its homestand with matches against Utah on February 6 and Montana on February 8.
For more information about University of Denver athletics programs or upcoming schedules, visit https://denverpioneers.com/.
