Tide Tennis Hosts Auburn in Regular-Season Finale
4/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA ?? Alabama men’s tennis (12-11, 3-7 SEC) will conclude its regular-season Saturday at 5 p.m. with a home match against arch-rival Auburn (12-8, 4-6 SEC) at the UA Tennis Complex.
The Crimson Tide will be seeking its second consecutive win over Auburn and its 10th straight win over an in-state opponent. Alabama picked up a pair of wins earlier in the week when it swept a double-header from Samford and UAB at the Brook Highland Racquet Club. The win over UAB put Alabama back over .500 for the season and gave the Tide its seventh win over a ranked opponent in 2006.
Alabama enters Saturday riding a three-match winning streak and has won eight of its last 12 matches overall. But Saturday’s date with Auburn will be the first of two meetings between the two teams in a six day span. The two teams have already locked up spots in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 match in the opening round of the SEC Tournament, set to begin next Thursday in Tuscaloosa. Saturday’s winner will take the No. 8 seed while the loser will be the No. 9 seed. The match could, however, carry NCAA Tournament implications. A win for Alabama would help bolster its resume.
Over its last five matches, the Tide has received great production from the bottom of its line-up. Players in the No. 4 ?? No. 6 singles positions have posted a 13-2 record since April 2. In that time freshman Dan Buikema is 5-0, Sammy Struyf is 4-1 and Billy Mertz is 3-1.
“We have developed a lot of depth this season and are a deeper team now than when the season started,” head coach Billy Pate said.
One of the biggest surprises for the Tide has been the production of Mertz and Javier Bes in doubles. The duo has rolled up an 11-4 overall record and is 6-1 in the SEC. Their consistency in doubles combined with solid production at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 singles make Alabama a threat to most any opponent. Of the Tide’s seven conference losses, four have come in 4-3 decisions and it has picked up four one-point wins of its own.
Fans in attendance Saturday will be eligible to win a Mike Shula autographed football and a Mark Gottfried autographed basketball.
