Men's Tennis Takes on UAB and Samford Wednesday
4/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 13, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 29 men's tennis team (11-11, 4-6 SEC) heads to Birmingham on Wednesday, April 14 to take on a pair of in-state regional foes. The Crimson Tide will face UAB (12-7, 3-1 Conference USA) at 1:00 p.m. (CST) at the Lakeshore Tennis Center, then travel to the campus of Samford University to take on the Bulldogs (11-10, 2-6 Southern Conference) at 6:00 p.m. (CST).
Last weekend featured Alabama in a pair of marathon conference matches. On Friday, the Tide came back to defeat then-No. 55 Mississippi State 4-3 in Starkville. Alabama dropped the doubles point to the Bulldogs, but came back in singles to steal the victory. Senior Saketh Myneni, now No. 28 nationally in singles, picked up yet another victory over a ranked opponent, knocking off No. 67 Louis Cant 6-4, 6-2. Freshman Jarryd Botha and sophomore Ricky Doverspike had to win a third set tiebreaker in their matches to complete the dramatic comeback. On Sunday, the Tide needed a similar comeback against then-No. 17 Mississippi but fell just short. Alabama lost the doubles point to the Rebels, putting the Tide in an early hole. Myneni delivered another huge victory at the No. 1 spot, while fellow senior Houssam Yassine came through with an easy 6-0, 6-2 victory on court five. The dual match came down to the match up at the No. 3 position, with Mississippi's Chris Thiemann holding off sophomore Michael Thompson seven points to five in a third set tiebreaker.
UAB enters the match after winning two of three matches against league foes in the C-USA Shootout in New Orleans. The Blazers defeated Southern Mississippi and Tulane, but fell to East Carolina. UAB has only had seven home matches on the season, holding an impressive 6-1 record in those contests. The Blazers have struggled against ranked teams this season, failing to defeat a ranked opponent in five opportunities. UAB currently has no players ranked in the national singles or doubles rankings. Alabama holds a 15-4 advantage in the all-time series with the Blazers.
Samford comes into the match having split a pair of matches in North Carolina last weekend. The Bulldogs narrowly defeated Davidson before falling to Appalachian State. After opening the season with a loss to Georgia State, Samford won its next six matches in a row. Samford has struggled as of late, however, failing to win back-to-back matches since early March. The Bulldogs are currently 7-5 at home on the season, with their last loss a 4-3 decision to Chattanooga on April 7. No Samford player holds a national ranking in singles or doubles in the latest poll. The Tide owns a commanding 30-9 record in the all-time series with the Bulldogs.
Next up, Alabama returns home for Senior Day on Saturday, April 17. The Tide will welcome in the 39th-ranked Auburn Tigers at 5:00 p.m. (CST) for the final regular season conference match.
Players Mentioned
