Men's Tennis Heads to No. 61 Clemson
2/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 14, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The 19th-ranked men's tennis team (5-1) hits the road for its first of two consecutive away matches when it travels to take on the No. 61 Clemson Tigers (3-3) Sunday, February 15 at Noon (CST). The match will be played at Clemson's Hoke Sloan Tennis Center.
"We're eager to get back on the court and display the same focus and intensity we had last weekend," said head coach Billy Pate. "It's early, but I like where our team is at this point in the season. We have a good non-conference matchup at Clemson this weekend that will present another good chance for us to compete and improve."
Alabama bounced back from its first loss of the season by sweeping a doubleheader from a pair of in-state foes, Samford and No. 75 UAB, at home last weekend. The Crimson Tide emphatically defeated Samford, dropping a total of seven games in doubles, while only surrendering one set in singles action. Alabama continued its stellar play against the Blazers, once again taking all three doubles matches before dropping just two sets in singles. Tide freshman Michael Thompson had an outstanding weekend, recording two doubles wins and losing a total of three games in two singles matches.
The Tigers return home for eight straight matches after opening the season on the road in five of their first six matches. Clemson opened up the home stand Wednesday with a 4-3 win against No. 70 Furman, a team Alabama defeated 5-2 earlier in the season. The Tigers have already taken on two other nationally ranked opponents, falling at both No. 3 Georgia and at No. 23 Miami (Fla.) 7-0. The Tide has also played Miami (Fla.), defeating the Hurricanes 4-0 in Malibu in the first round of the National Indoor Qualifier.
Alabama has dominated the series with Clemson, owning a record of 8-3. The teams last met in 2007, which resulted in a 4-3 victory for the Tide.
