Men's Tennis NCAA Tournament Match Notes
5/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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» Complete Match Notes 
The Alabama men's tennis team begins play in the NCAA team Championships on Friday. The Tide will face Texas A&M in Richmond, Va. at 10 a.m. Alabama will arrive in Richmond Wednesday evening and practice on Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Thalhimer Center. Virginia Commonwealth (No. 12 ITA) is the host and top seed in the four-team region. Texas A&M (No. 24 ITA) is the No. 2 seed. Alabama (No. 40 ITA) is seeded third and Richmond is the fourth seed.
Dancin'
Alabama received its fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA tournament with the 2004 selection. Alabama (10-14, 2-9 SEC) won the East regional a year ago, advancing to the championship site in Athens, Ga. for the Sweet 16... Alabama draws a difficult first round assignment with Texas A&M (22-8). The Aggies are ranked 24th in the country, and feature the nation's No. 2 doubles team in Lester Cool and Ante Matijevic.
12 Southeastern Conference Teams in the Field
Every team in the Southeastern Conference earned an NCAA bid this season. Last season 11 of the 12 SEC schools were selected, while all 12 teams received a bid 2 years ago.
UA's NCAA Tourney History
Last year Alabama beat Marist and Harvard in the firt two rounds in Cambridge, Mass. before losing to Baylor in Athens, Ga. at the championship site... In 2002 the Tide lost to Middle Tennessee in Oxford, Miss. in its first-round match, and in 2001 Alabama was downed by Minnesota in Coral Gables, Fla. in a first-round match.
Tide's Schedule Offered No Breaks
The Crimson Tide has faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation in 2004, playing 19 of the Top 70 teams in the country, 16 of the Top 45, and 10 of the Top 21 teams in the nation...
In addition to the Tide's 11 SEC opponents who made the field, four other Crimson Tide opponents were selected (Central Florida, Rice, North Carolina and Ohio State).
Pate's 2nd Season Not as Sweet as First, Yet
Alabama head coach Billy Pate is in his second season at the helm of the Crimson Tide men's tennis program. Pate guided the squad to the Championship site in 2003 before losing to Baylor in the round of 16. Pate's 2003 squad finished 19-10 overall and tied for 5th in the SEC.
A Jung Winner
Alabama freshman Joseph Jung has been the Tide's leader in dual-match wins for Alabama this season. Jung, who was born in Korea, sports a 13-5 record at the No. 3 singles position, but has struggled recently, losing his last four matches.
Senior Support:
Christian Brodersen, Chris Gostek and Stephen Mitchell have represented Alabama in over 600 singles and doubles matches and have led the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Championship tournament in each of the past three season, including the tide's trip to the Sweet 16 in 2003...Brodersen was the 2002 team MVP, while Gostek earned those honors in 2001 and 2003.
Brodersen, from Heinsberg, Germany, has posted a remarkable 75-34 career singles record, including a 58-26 record in dual matches. He was selected as Most Valuable Player in his sophomore season, which included 27 singles wins and a perfect 9-0 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Also an Academic All-SEC selection, Brodersen is pursuing a degree in international finance.
Chris "Goose" Gostek has compiled a 65-53 singles record and a 67-57 doubles mark playing in the top of the Tide's lineup throughout his career. Gostek and Mitchell teamed in doubles to reach the finals of the ITA Regional Indoor Championships in the fall, earning a No. 13 national doubles ranking. Goose is an advertising major in the UA school of communications.
Mitchell, a native of Capetown, South Africa, has compiled a 75-48 singles record and a 73-50 doubles record while representing the University of Alabama. Mitchell is 52-37 in singles dual matches and 48-35 in doubles. In his junior season, Mitchell won the ITA regional indoor doubles championship, teamed with Geoff Hiscox. Mitchell is currently ranked 40th in the nation in singles and 48th in doubles along with Gostek. Mitchell will play in the NCAA Individual championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma beginning on May 25.
