GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman head men's tennis coach J.J. Whitlinger announced today that the Paladins will play a 21-match schedule for the upcoming 2026 season.

Furman's 21-match slate features eight home matches at Mickel Tennis Center and seven versus Southern Conference opponents.

"The team and myself are extremely excited to get started in the new year," said Whitlinger, who will be entering his 11^th season overall in 2026 and seventh as head coach. "We graduated a lot of seasoned players last year and are looking for the younger guys on our squad to step up and show everyone what they have. I have no doubt they will rise to the challenge."

The Paladins open their season on the road with a pair of matches against SEC opponents Ole Miss and Alabama January 17-18. Furman begins its home slate with three straight matches January 30-31 hosting North Greenville, Presbyterian, and Emmanuel (Ga.).

The Paladins then hit the road for nine straight matches spanning February 13-March 8. Furman starts the road trip February 13-14 taking on Coastal Carolina and William & Mary in Conway, S.C., followed by contests with Tennessee Tech and Eastern Kentucky February 20-21 in Richmond, Ky. The Paladins travel to Charlotte on February 27 before opening their SoCon schedule March 4 at UNC Greensboro. Furman closes out its road trip with three matches in four days at Washington and Lee (March 5), Richmond (March 7), and James Madison (March 8) in Richmond, Va.

The regular season ends with the Paladins playing five of their final seven matches at home starting March 14 entertaining Dayton. Following a conference road match at Mercer on March 17, Furman steps back into SoCon play facing Chattanooga on March 22 and The Citadel on March 24.

The month of April sees the Paladins head to Samford on April 4 before wrapping up the regular season hosting East Tennessee State on April 6 and Wofford on April 9.

The 2026 SoCon Men's Tennis Championship will be held April 16-18 at the Champions Club in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Last season, Furman made its first appearance in the SoCon Men's Tennis Championship finals since 2019 and finished the year winning three of its last four matches including a 4-3 upset of top-seeded East Tennessee State in the semifinals of the SoCon Men's Tennis Championship.

The Paladins return seven letterwinners from last year's team and welcome in three freshmen newcomers.

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