FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – It is time for the Northern Arizona men's tennis to take out the rackets as they kick off their 2014 fall schedule in Las Cruces, N.M. at the New Mexico State Fall Invitational.

"We're all ready to get our fall season started," said head coach Ki Kroll. "With a lot of new players, seems everyone is out to prove themselves, which makes for an exciting time ahead."

Kroll enters his second season leading the NAU men's tennis program and has changed the culture of the program. In 2013, the Lumberjacks ended with a 5-19 record with just one win in the Big Sky; Kroll has turned the Lumberjacks around with the 2014 squad ending the season with 13 wins, the most since 2010.

The Lumberjacks have six new faces on the team this season from all around the world that bring a lot of experience to this year's squad in Harun Ajanovic, Tomas Hons, Jackson Lee, Eden Peleg, Felix Schumann and Adi Zilberstein.

"We have a very hard working group, who are very committed to getting better," said Kroll. "Although we are a young team, each player is very dedicated and holds high expectations for this team."

Kroll only returns three players from last year's squad who finished third in the Big Sky, but there are some key players in Kester Black, Jordan Gobatie and Alexandre Locci. Every returner was a 2013 All-Big Sky Honorable Mention.  Black enters his senior year, where he was NAU's No. 4 player last year with an 11-3 record. Gobatie, also a senior went 12-9 overall playing at both the No. 1 & 2 positions. Locci enters his sophomore season; the native of France will be a leader on this team after finishing last year at the number one spot in 2013.   

The New Mexico State Fall Invitational is the first of five invites that the Lumberjacks will participate in this fall.