UA Men's Tennis Team Welcomes Three New Arrivals
1/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – As the first day of spring semester classes began today, the University of Alabama men’s tennis team welcomed three new arrivals who will round out the 2004 squad.
Joining the squad are junior RJ Murray, a transfer from North Carolina State, and two freshmen, Tom McVey and Eric Molnar.
“We’re happy to have these three men play for us at Alabama,” head coach Billy Pate said. “All of them have experienced backgrounds at high levels of tennis. We were a little thin in the fall in terms of depth and now we’re happy to have a full squad, and one which we can have a lot of success with.”
The new-look Crimson Tide picks up play on Jan. 15-18 in Athens, Ga. for the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships. On Jan. 25 the Tide will host Jacksonville State and Samford in the Alabama Kickoff Jamboree on its indoor courts beginning at 9 a.m.
The head-to-head dual-match season begins in earnest on Feb. 7 when Alabama hosts Troy State and Furman at the indoor facility at 9 a.m. The preseason team and individual rankings will be released next Tuesday, with Alabama expecting to come in around No. 20.
Murray, who played No. 1 singles for NC State with limited success, projects to be a great asset lower in the Crimson Tide’s lineup. He attended Dunedin Academy and Thom Howard Academy in Florida where he won two Florida state championships.
“The addition of RJ coming in is that he has two years of experience at NC playing No. 1 and No. 2 in their lineup,” Pate said. “He’s a very talented doubles player as well. I’m anxious to see these guys in action to make determinations on our lineup throughout rest of the spring.”
Molnar, a Guelph, Ontario native was the No. 2 singles player in Canada’s under 18 section, and was the No. 1 doubles player. His doubles experience will be called upon to help the Tide field a solid doubles lineup.
McVey signed with the Crimson Tide out of Chester, Wales in the United Kingdom. He has represented his country in international events since the age of 14.
