Alabama Begins Crimson Tide Fall Championships Today
10/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA ?? The University of Alabama men's tennis team start the 2006 Crimson Tide Fall Championships by playing a series of matches against Mississippi State at 5 p.m. today at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.
The championships will feature teams playing four doubles and eight singles matches against another team. The matches count towards a player's individual records and rankings but do not count on the team's overall record.
"With this tournament it will give us a chance to prepare for how we will compete in the spring," said Alabama head coach Billy Pate. "We play some many individual tournaments in the fall where it is every man for themselves in one draw but this provides more of a team atmosphere and that's what makes college tennis special and unique."
The Crimson Tide will welcome Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Nebraska to Tuscaloosa to compete. UAB will also be bringing players to fill incomplete rosters so that all four doubles and eight singles matches will be played.
"We're excited about the five teams that we will be hosting this weekend and to see how we measure up," said Pate. "All of these teams are competitive on a national level. "Georgia Tech beat us in a heartbreaking match in the NCAA Tournament last year and like us they will be even better this year. Mississippi State, like everyone in the SEC, is very strong and they will have a few new freshmen for us to go against. Nebraska is very solid throughout their line-up and they have really come on the scene big time in recent years. They're tough top to bottom and it's good to have them here as it will provide a team that we rarely see. And of course Miami is always a top national caliber team and is coming off a year that saw them in the top-10 last year. UAB is going to send five players to the tournament and partner with the other teams to round out their roster. They have some very talented guys on their squad as well and we're happy they are competing"
Alabama is coming off an impressive performance at the 2006 Wilson/ITA Fall Southeast Regional Championships in Lexington, Ky. last weekend. The doubles team of Dan Buikema and Matthieu Thibeaudau advanced all the way to the final in doubles before losing to the top seed. Joseph Jung made a run through the singles bracket before losing to the top seed in the semifinal round. Three other players won their first singles matches with Sammy Struyf and Javier Bes each making it to the round of 32. Three of the four doubles teams were victorious in the opening round. Saketh Myneni and Struyf won two matches before losing in the round of 16.
"Our guys are playing well and we are gaining confidence each time out it seems," said Pate. "We have improved by leaps and bounds but we really need to finish the fall season strong with this event so we can keep that momentum going into January when we begin our spring matches."
In case of rain, the matches will be moved indoors to Alabama's Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. The tournament will run through Sunday with Alabama facing Miami on Friday, Nebraska on Saturday and Georgia Tech on Sunday.
