Men's Tennis Opens 2009 Dual Match Season on Saturday
1/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 23, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The 23rd-ranked men's tennis team will begin dual-match play Saturday when it hosts Troy and No. 69 Furman in a doubleheader. The Crimson Tide will open the morning against the Trojans at 10:00 a.m. (CST) before playing the Paladins at 3:00 p.m. (CST). All action will take place at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility.
"Our guys are anxious to begin the season," said head coach Billy Pate. "We face two quality opponents in Troy and Furman. We need to get off to a good start in each of these matches."
Alabama returns the bulk of its squad from last season and welcomes back senior Billy Mertz along with a handful of freshmen. Mertz, who returns for his first dual match season since 2007, joins four additional seniors in Daniel Buikema, Andrew Felsenthal, Michael Jung and Mathieu Thibaudeau. Also returning from the 2008 team are juniors Saketh Myneni and Houssam Yassine and sophomore Trey Walston. The Tide's four freshmen competing this year are Creighton Blanchard, Ricky Doverspike, John Lewis and Michael Thompson. In the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, three Alabama players earned a spot on the singles ledger while a pair garnered recognition on the doubles list. Coming in at No. 69 in the singles rankings was Thibaudeau followed by Lewis at No. 106 and Mertz at 115. The Tide duo of Thibaudeau and Buikema landed at No. 48 on the doubles poll.
Alabama owns a commanding 10-0 series advantage over Troy that dates back to the 1996 season. The last time the two teams met in dual-match fashion was Jan. 26, 2008 where the Tide earned a 7-0 sweep over the Trojans. Troy has already played in one dual match this season falling at South Carolina on Jan. 17 7-0.
Furman will enter Saturday's matchup also having played in one dual match thus far taking on No. 10 Florida Friday. The series between the Tide and Paladins dates all the way back to the 1964 season with Alabama leading the way 12-1. The two teams met nearly one year ago where the Tide narrowly edged Furman 4-3. Alabama's one loss in the series took place on March 20, 1970 when the match ended 5-1 in favor of the Paladins. Furman boasts one of the top doubles teams in the nation in Robert Ladyman and Andy Juc. The pair is currently ranked No. 9 on the ITA preseason doubles list. In addition, Ladyman ranks No. 104 on the singles standings.
Complete results will be available on Rolltide.com at the conclusion of the matches.
Players Mentioned
