Men's Tennis Hosts Doubleheader on Sunday
2/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 27, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The 19th-ranked men's tennis team (7-1) returns home after two consecutive weeks on the road, hosting a doubleheader this Sunday. Alabama opens the day at 10:00 a.m. (CST) against regional foe Memphis (6-3) and continues play at 3:00 p.m. (CST) against another region opponent Jacksonville State (6-0). Both matches will take place at the Hank Crisp Indoor Tennis Facility.
"This is our last weekend before our conference season gets underway, so we want to have a great showing against two quality teams," said head coach Billy Pate. "Each match we play is an opportunity to improve, and that has been our focus thus far. Our seniors have been important, and we count on them to each match to provide positive leadership. Our younger guys, especially a couple of the freshmen, have made good contributions and have really helped us. I expect them to continue getting better rapidly while they gain match experience."
The Crimson Tide enjoyed a very successful two weeks on the road, picking up two wins over ranked teams. Alabama took down then No. 61 Clemson 5-2, following that up with a 4-3 win at then No. 58 Indiana. The Tide is now 5-1 on the season against ranked opponents. The win over Indiana moved Alabama up one spot in the rankings to No. 19, making this the fourth week in a row that the Tide has been inside the top 20.
This will be the 13th meeting between Alabama and Memphis. The Tide holds a slight 7-5 edge, but the teams have not met since 1988. Memphis enters the weekend following a spilt in Starkville, Miss. last weekend. The Tigers fell to Mississippi State 6-1, but rebounded to defeat Georgia State 4-3. All three losses for Memphis have come on the road. The Tigers are led by senior Jorge Vazquez, who is currently ranked No. 51 nationally in singles.
Alabama has played Jacksonville State only three times, never having lost to the Gamecocks. The teams met last season, with the Tide collecting a 7-0 sweep. This will be the fifth consecutive match on the road for the Gamecocks, who play at Austin Peay on Saturday before traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. The match versus the Tide will be the first match against a ranked opponent this season for Jacksonville State.
Admission to all Alabama tennis matches is free. In addition, live scoring will be available on Rolltide.com by .
