Alabama
University of Tennessee
Alabama Men’s Tennis Concludes 2017 Regular Season with Pair of Road Matches Against Tennessee and Jacksonville State
4/12/2017 10:24:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The Crimson Tide hits the road on Thursday, April 13, to take on Tennessee at 11 a.m. CT and Jacksonville State at 6 p.m. CT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's tennis team will conclude the 2017 regular season this weekend with a pair of road matches. The Crimson Tide (10-15, 2-9 SEC) travels to Knoxville, Tenn., on Thursday, April 13, to take on the Tennessee Volunteers (9-13, 1-9 SEC) at 11 a.m. CT, before traveling to Jacksonville, Ala., later that evening to square off against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-7) at 6 p.m. CT.
Last Time Out:
Alabama went 1-1 last weekend in a pair of road matches to continue Southeastern Conference play. The Tide lost a 4-3 thriller to then-No. 47 Vanderbilt on Friday, before going on to upset then-No. 23 Kentucky in a 4-3 result on Sunday afternoon.
Alabama Notes:
Alabama had two singles players and one doubles pair earn national rankings this week announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Tuesday.
The Tide has collected 51 wins in singles play since beginning the dual match season, and it has registered 30 victories in doubles play.
Sophomore anchor Mazen Osama moved up four spots to earn a No. 27 national ranking in singles play, marking his seventh week in the rankings since beginning the dual match season. Osama has 11 wins in singles play since starting the spring season, and he has registered nine wins over nationally-ranked opponents this year. Last weekend, Osama defeated Kentucky's No. 16-ranked singles player Will Bushamuka in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
Freshman Thibault Cancel leaped 20 spots to earn a No. 97 national ranking in singles after collecting 10 wins in the dual match season. Cancel has been nationally-ranked six times since the start of the spring season, and he has registered five wins over nationally-ranked singles opponents. Last weekend, Cancel won in straight sets over the Wildcats' No. 38-ranked singles player Ryotaro Matsumura, 6-0, 6-2.
Osama and sophomore Spencer Richey jumped 24 spots to break into the top-15 at No.14 in doubles play after collecting 11 wins since the start of the spring season, with all matches coming from the top court.
Tennessee Notes:
The Volunteers enter Thursday's match with a 9-13 overall record including a 1-9 mark in league play. Last weekend, Tennessee lost to South Carolina in a 4-3 decision, before going on to fall to Florida, 6-1. The Volunteers have three doubles teams and one singles player that are nationally-ranked.
Luis Valero and Jack Schipanksi are ranked No. 43 in doubles, while Valero and Timo Stodder are ranked No. 71. Stodder and Scott Jones teamed up to earn the No. 83 spot in doubles, while Stodder is ranked No. 35 in singles action.
Jacksonville State Notes:
The Gamecocks enter Thursday's match with a 9-7 overall record. Thursday's match against Alabama marks the first of three contests for Jacksonville State on the weekend. Last weekend, the Gamecocks lost a 6-1 decision to Tennessee Tech.
Series History:
When Alabama and Tennessee face each other on Thursday it will mark the 54th time the two programs have met on the court, dating back to the 1953 season. The Volunteers hold a 41-12 advantage in the series. Last year, the Tide topped Tennessee in a 5-2 result. The last time Alabama defeated the Volunteers in Knoxville, Tenn., was during the 1999 season, when the Tide outlasted Tennessee in a 4-3 decision.
Thursday night's contest between Alabama and Jacksonville State will mark the seventh time the two schools have met, dating back to the 2000 season. The Tide is undefeated in the series against the Gamecocks at 6-0. The last time the two teams faced each other was during the 2015 season, when Alabama won a doubleheader over Jacksonville State.
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