HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i Warrior tennis team kicks off the spring collegiate season this week hosting No. 5 Duke and No. 15 Baylor at the UH Tennis Complex. The Warriors will take on the Blue Devils on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 2:00 p.m., and the Bears on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 10:00 a.m.

Hawai'i returns all but one player from its 2011-12 squad and faces the challenge of a demanding non-conference and Big West Conference schedule. Both Duke and Baylor received Top 20 rankings in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association national poll (Jan. 3) after making quarterfinal appearances in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Duke also boasts the NCAA's top-ranked doubles tandem of Henrique Cunha and Raphael Hemmeler.

John Nelson enters his ninth season as head coach of the Warrior tennis team after guiding UH to a semifinal appearance in the 2012 Western Athletic Conference Tournament. The Warriors also begin their first season as a member of the Big West Conference.

Hawai'i will be led by junior Jonathan Brooklyn who was ranked No. 90 in the ITA preseason poll. He finished the 2012 season winning six of eight results and, with doubles partner Dmytro Kovalyov, closed the season winning seven of his last eight matches.