CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay men’s tennis team’s season opener, Friday, at Georgia State has been cancelled due to inclement weather. If weather permits,  the Govs are scheduled to open the 2010 campaign when Kennesaw State comes to Clarksville for a 2 p.m., Saturday match.

The Governors, who went 3-15 last season, hope to create some winning ways with first-year head coach, Malik Tabet is a former two-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2005 and 2008, while also earning ITA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2007 while at Indiana State.

The Govs return last season’s No. 1 seed, Leonardo Locatelli, who went 9-8 in singles and 9-7 in doubles play in 2009, stats good enough to claim Locatelli a spot on the All-Ohio Valley Conference second-team.

The roster includes seven underclassmen who will likely see time in the lineup, including Sean Bailey, who was ranked 24th as a junior in Canada, and Henrique Norbiato, who played as high as No. 9 in Brazil.

Six Govs newcomers will look to aid a lineup that went 18-16 at Nos.1 and 2, but suffered at Nos. 3-6 with a 10-58 record.

“It’s a young, very talented team,” Tabet said. “As a coach, you run into a lot of problems because they were used to the old system, but with all the newcomers, it was easier for them to buy in to my way of coaching. They’re a young team and they have learned a lot this fall.

“This is a building team and we’re going to be looking for major results in a year or two. Right now we’re still in the learning process and trying to show the players what we’re looking for. It will take time.”

The Owls are a second-year program that went 7-12 last season and open the 2010 slate with nine straight road matches. Sophomore Ryan Bouttell had a team-best 12-3 record last season. Kennesaw State opens up, Friday, at Memphis.

-AP-