UA Men's Tennis Faces 16th-Ranked Buckeyes Saturday
2/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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The 17th-ranked University of Alabama men’s tennis team (2-0) faces one of its toughest challenges in only its third match of the season, traveling to Columbus, Ohio to take on No. 16 Ohio State (5-1) on Saturday.
The match will take place indoors to escape the 19-degree low temperature expected in Columbus, and is the first of three consecutive road matches. The Tide heads for warmer weather next week, going to South Florida (Feb. 20) and Central Florida (Feb. 22).
“After last weekend I feel good about the direction of our team and we’re going in with the mindset that we have a great chance to be successful,” Alabama head coach Billy Pate said. “This will be a great early-season challenge for us and will indicate where we are in preparation for SEC play.”
Ohio State will be looking to take full advantage of their home court, especially after ‘Bama downed the Buckeyes in a five-hour epic 4-3 match at the Tide’s indoor courts in 2003.
“I believe they could be a Top-10 team,” Pate said. “It will be a tough match, especially considering we’re playing at their place in a difficult environment. We’re definitely going to be considered the underdogs.”
Crimson Tide senior Stephen Mitchell (Sr., Capetown, South Africa) will have a golden opportunity in the match, facing the nation's No. 1 ranked player, Jeremy Wurtzman. Mitchell is currently ranked 63rd by the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) in singles.
“Stephen has been playing exceptionally well and working hard. We feel like he has a great opportunity against the No. 1 guy in nation and he’s certainly capable of winning.
Several other national rankings will be fought over Saturday, as well. The Crimson Tide senior duo of Mitchell and Chris Gostek (Toronto, Canada) is currently ranked No. 13 nationally in doubles, while in addition to top-ranked Wurtzman, Ohio State has the No. 21 (Wurtzman/Joey Atas) and No. 38 (Scott Green/Ross Wilson) doubles teams in the nation.
