UA Men's Tennis Ready for Conference Home Opener
3/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama men’s tennis team hosts 17th-ranked Vanderbilt in the Tide’s Southeastern Conference home opener at the UA Recreation courts at 1 p.m. on Friday in Tuscaloosa.
Vanderbilt is 9-6 overall on the season and 3-2 in the conference, while Alabama is 6-7 overall with a 1-3 league-mark. The Crimson Tide will host No. 16 Kentucky (10-4, 3-1 SEC) at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The Crimson Tide will be home for the first time in over a month, and is playing its first match ever at the current outdoor facility. The match is the first of an eight-match home stand for the Tide.
“It’s great to finally be on our home courts after a month of being on the road,” Alabama head coach Billy Pate said. “We’re anxious to play in front of our fans and we will certainly need their support. Vanderbilt and Kentucky are two of the best teams in the conference and they present a big challenge for us.”
Alabama senior Stephen Mitchell will have a shot at two Top 15 players this weekend. Vanderbilt’s Chad Harris is ranked 14th in the country while Kentucky’s Jesse Witten is ranked No. 8. Vanderbilt has four ranked singles players (No. 14 Harris, No. 53 Scott Brown, No. 58 Zach Dailey and No. 66 Matt Lockin) and the No. 32 doubles duo (Harris and Brown).
