Demorest, GA - The 2015 season for Piedmont men's tennis will be one of transition as the Lions lost four seniors from last year's squad to graduation, a class that brought Piedmont its last conference championship on the courts back in 2011.  However, Head Coach Shane Wood has made it clear his program is looking to reload, not rebuild this spring though his young Lions are still learning the ropes in one of Piedmont's most successful athletic programs.  

"We lost alot of maturity and leadership, some guys have had to step into those roles," said Wood of his team's transition.  "However, I think talent-wise, we could be as good if not maybe a little bit better than in years past.  But, we've been hot and cold in practice, with just maturity and getting used to the college game.  We've had to have guys step up to leadership positions and those guys have done a good job so far."

One of those that will likely be looked to in a leadership role is Wood's only senior on the roster in returning All-Conference selection TREY MARTIN who comes into his twilight campaign with PC fresh off a solid junior season that saw a dozen singles wins for the Homer, Georgia native. 

Wood believes Martin's personal journey since first arriving at PC four years ago will help the now veteran transition into that leadership role saying, "I think Trey has continued to be kind of an amazing story from where he started as a freshman when he wasn't breaking into the lineup to now as a senior being expected to play very high in both singles and doubles and we're going to depend on him to win a lot of matches. He works hard and he wants to improve not only on a daily basis but minute-by-minute, and the other guys feed off that."

Martin is one of two returning All-Conference performers from last season as the Lions also bring back last season's Rookie of the Year in the USA South, New Zealand native MATTHEW METZGER.  Metzger won ten matches in singles play last season going 5-3 in the USA South, but he won't be the only Metzger on the roster as he welcomes younger brother Nathan to the group in a class of four newcomers for the Lions.

"It's been a lot of fun watching those guys interact with each other, they're totally different personalities!" said Wood of the new 'Metzger Squared' combo as his team refers to the New Zealand brothers. "The two have totally different styles, but both are very, very talented.  Nathan hits a big ball, has a tremendous serve and forehand.  If he can keep that level of play consistent, he's going to be a tough out for a lot of guys."

Despite the natural competition that has existed at Burgen Tennis Courts during preseason practices, Wood feels that his team has stayed loose despite any expectations with his new brother combination a prime example. 

"It is funny to watch those guys (Nathan & Matt Metzger) play doubles, Matt is the older brother and he's very quick to let you know he is the other brother!" remarked Wood about his team's mood. "They kind of have this cheerful banter, I've enjoyed watching them on the court for sure."

Amongst the returning talent is Piedmont's most common #1, #3, #5, and #6 singles players including sophomore ROBBIE WERNER and junior MASON RIZA who bring with them 20 singles victories from a year ago.  Riza won 11 himself to place 2nd on the team behind only Martin's 12 while Werner won nine in his debut campaign for Coach Wood while also picking up 11 doubles wins, 2nd in that category for PC though nine of those doubles wins came with Chris Davidson who graduated last spring. 

With preseason practices wrapping up, the Lions will know exactly where they stand as they open up on the road against one of the toughest teams around the South, the Tigers of Sewanee.

"It's always a testing ground for us, we play Sewanee on purpose as they are a high-level team, typically a NCAA tournament team and perennial top-25," said Wood. "It's always a measuring stick for us to see where we are.  I love jumping in and playing high level competition right away...but I like our mixture of players, I know we can go and compete this season."

The match with Sewanee will take place on Friday afternoon in Tennessee with first serve set for 4:00 pm while the Lions will stay in Tennessee to face Centre College on Saturday morning as well. 

Fans are encouraged to stay tuned to PiedmontLions.com for all schedule results, interviews, and information. For more information on the Piedmont men's tennis program, follow Piedmont on Twitter (@PiedmontLions), like the Lions on Facebook (facebook.com/PiedmontCollegeLions), or sign up for the Lions' Roar text-messaging score & news alerts through the "All-Access" pulldown menu on the main page at PiedmontLions.com.