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Millikin University Athletics - Official Athletics Website Men’s tennis aims to keep building in 2026-27 Decatur, IL – The Millikin University Men's Tennis returns for the 2026-2027 campaign following a quarterfinal appearance in the 2026 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship. The Big Blue are coming off a 14-9 overall record in 2025-26, finishing with a 3-4 record in CCIW play, highlighted by victories over Elmhurst University, Carroll University, and Illinois Wesleyan University. The team was also nationally ranked for the first time ever in program history. The Men's Tennis team is set to compete in 21 matches during the 2026-27 regular season, featuring seven CCIW contests and 14 non-conference matchups. The Big Blue will also send eight players to compete in the individual CCIW Tournament on Friday, September 11, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. On October 2, Millikin will send two singles players, and one doubles team to the ITA Regional Championship in Brownsburg, Indiana. The Big Blue will host their home opener on Wednesday, September 2, when Illinois College comes to town for a 4:00 p.m. match. CCIW competition begins on Saturday, April 9, against Carthage College. Head Coach Connor Barnard returns for his second season as the Director of Tennis at Millikin University and he's sporting an all-new all-different Men's Tennis team with nine freshmen joining the Big Blue. Millikin will rely on returning leadership from seniors Elijah Aumann, Matthew Kordesh, and Eduardo Vargas, along with sophomore Harry Masterman. "We brought in nine new players, so you never know who is going to work well together," said Barnard. "What I love about the fall season is that we have time to figure out what the best version of the team is going to look like before we jump straight into the bulk of our schedule." Millikin opens its season on Wednesday, September 2, against Illinois College. The match time is set for 4:00 p.m. This content is sourced from Millikin University Athletics - Official Athletics Website . It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.