2002 Alabama Tennis Playday Set for Sunday
9/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The annual Alabama Tennis Playday, hosted by the Crimson Tide tennis teams, will be held on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. at the Varsity Tennis Courts.
The athletes and coaches will be giving tennis instructions and doing drills with those in attendance. There will also be a cookout where fans can enjoy hamburgers and hotdogs while meeting the teams. Prizes will also be given out throughout the course of the day.
“It’s an opportunity for the community to meet the Alabama tennis teams and coaches,” UA head women’s tennis coach Jenny Mainz said. “It is a chance for us to highlight and showcase our teams.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams both made it to the NCAA Tournament last season for the second year in a row. Mainz returns for her sixth season as the women’s head coach. The women’s team returns four players from last season while adding six freshmen this year.
On the men’s side there will be seven seniors along with a new head coach. The Tide welcomes Billy Pate as the new head coach. Pate, who has spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Notre Dame, is a 1992 graduate of Mississippi State.
“It is exciting for me to return to the Southeastern Conference,” Pate said. “Having played in this league, I know the level of competition and strength of the tennis programs and it is certainly an honor to coach at Alabama. I intend to continue the upward movement of this program.”
“It is important for us to give our time and grow tennis in the Tuscaloosa community,” Mainz said. “We want to get the community more involved with tennis and more importantly in collegiate tennis.”
In the case of inclement weather, the Alabama Tennis Playday will be moved to the Hank Crisp Indoor Tennis Facility. All ages and skill levels are invited to attend.
