Nicholasville, Ky. - The Transylvania men's tennis team are set to begin the 2022 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Men's Tennis Tournament on Wednesday evening, in an opening round matchup vs the Franklin College Grizzlies. The tournament is to be held at Top Seed Tennis Club in Nicholasville.

The six-team tournament will run through the weekend, with a champion to be decided on Sunday. The first step of the way for the No. 5 seeded Pioneers will be taking on the No. 4 ranked Grizzlies, starting at 5 PM.

The team to advance will move on to play the No. 1 seed, Rose-Hulman, who earned the spot after going undefeated in the conference at 5-0. The second round match is scheduled for Saturday, May 7th, with a 1 PM start. The winner of the semifinal contest on Saturday will then advance to the final championship match, scheduled for Sunday at 10 AM, still at Top Seed.

The Transylvania team had an influx of young talent step in this season, however they retain plenty of experience from key contributors as well. The Pioneers boast the 2022 conference player of the year, Nick McNamee, as was announced on Tuesday. The senior leads the team playing in both No. 1 singles and doubles, where he went 4-1 and 3-2 respectively, against conference opponents this spring.

Sophomores Elijah Skaggs and Jared Wells each took steps forward this season, and were named All-HCAC Honorable Mention selections for their efforts. Skaggs has proven to be a great partner with McNamee this year in No. 1 doubles, and he is leaned on in singles as well, playing in the No. 2 spot. Wells excelled against league competition all spring, with a 4-1 record in No. 2 doubles.

More valuable experience comes from senior Hunter Gregg who also aims to finish his Transy career on a great note. Gregg was also a standout performer this season going 4-1 in HCAC doubles play.

Along with the opportunity to secure an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament with a win in the HCAC Tournament, the Pioneers will look to showcase their progress as a group as well. The team fell to both Franklin as well as Rose-Hulman in closely played matches back in April, setting up for a captivating end to the conference season.

More information on the 2022 HCAC Men's Tennis Championship, including a full bracket and schedule, can be found on the tournament webpage.

For more on Transylvania men's tennis, follow @TransyMTennis on Twitter