KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- The Kutztown University men's tennis team returns to the PSAC Men's Tennis Championship for the first time since 2018 when they take on top-seed and four-time reigning champion Edinboro in a semifinal match at Bloomsburg's Burt Reese Tennis Center on Friday at 1 p.m.

The Golden Bears have thrived under the leadership of first-year head coach Pete Smith to the tune of a 13-4 overall record --the program's most wins since finishing 14-5 in 2014-15. Their growth from the beginning of the season culminated with clinching the No. 4 seed in the PSAC Tournament via a 5-2 victory over West Chester at the Keystone Courts back on April 22.

Without a single senior on its roster, KU produced wins over perennially strong Jefferson and Chestnut Hill squads back in the fall portion of its schedule. The Maroon and Gold turned in a 7-0 record before flipping the calendar to 2025, where they've gone 6-4.

Sophomore Dang Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam/) has been stellar against opponent's top players, racking up an 11-6 record, including 11-4 at No. 1 in duals. Nguyen is 7-3 in his last 10 matches.

Freshman Linus Vennekold (Laatzen, Germany/) leads KU with 12 singles victories (12-3) and went 4-1 in PSAC play. He's enjoyed winning results from third to sixth singles, but much of his success has come at No. 6, where he's 7-0 this season. No. 2 Nikita Safonov (Podolsk, Russia/) (9-6), No. 3 Henrique Rocha (Jaticua, Brazil/Escola SEB Maceio) (9-9) and No. 5 Emmitt Robinson (Ingersoll, Ontario/Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute) (9-6) are all on the cusp of double-digit win seasons, while Joaquin Perez (Pachuca, Mexico/Escuela Americana) has gone 4-4 at No. 4 singles and is 6-10 overall.

In doubles, Robinson and Vennekold sport a team-leading 11 wins (11-7) and are 7-1 in eight matches at No. 3 together. They've also gone 4-4 at No. 2. The duo of Nguyen and Rocha are 10-8 overall while posting a 9-5 record at No. 1.

The Golden Bears undoubtedly have their work cut out for them against the Fighting Scots, who have been a mainstay at the top of the PSAC over the last decade. Edinboro won three straight PSAC titles between 2014-16 and were the runners-up to Mercyhurst three consecutive years between 2017-19 before embarking upon their current four-year championship run. The Fighting Scots topped Kutztown, 7-0, when the two teams met during the regular season, March 30, in Erie, Pa.

This marks Kutztown's 18th PSAC Championship appearance since the conference went to a team bracket tournament beginning with the 2000-01 season. The Golden Bears have won 11 PSAC championships, 10 of which have come in this format. KU's last title came in 2013.

Due to inclement weather in the forecast for this weekend, the PSAC will try to complete the entire men's and women's championship tournaments on Friday. Kutztown and Edinboro play at 1 p.m., alongside the other men's semifinal between Bloomsburg and Millersville. The championship match is scheduled for 7 p.m.