Net News - SEC Tournament Edition
4/25/2018 11:32:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Hello from Tournament Central,
Six years ago I remember thumbing through a stack of paper distributed at the annual SEC coaches meeting. I came across the list of host cities for upcoming conference championships - Oxford (Ole Miss), Nashville (Vanderbilt) College Station (Texas A&M), Columbia (South Carolina), Knoxville (Tennessee) and Tuscaloosa. 2018 seemed so far away, and low and behold, we have arrived at the main event.
Former women's tennis manager and current SEC tournament director, Lindsey Jones, has been working feverishly for the past 12+ months preparing for the championships along with her UA Event Management staff (Roll Tide Lins!). Many others have contributed countless hours and passionate support to not only showcase our fantastic facility but also make the tourney a memorable experience for the visiting teams, the fans and our T-Town community. Special thanks to our Administration, Business Office, Concessions, Facilities, Grounds, Marketing, Media Relations, Sports Medicine and Ticketing for working together to host a unique event that only comes around once every twelve years. The Crimson Racket Club has also lent a helping hand by sponsoring 100 student tickets for each day the Crimson Tide compete. A generous gift by our booster club. Roll CRC Roll!
Our final two regular season matches were highly contested bouts at Florida and South Carolina. The total miles traveled were plentiful as we spent time on a shuttle, airplane and mini van. Our typical Thu-Sun road trip was extended one day as a downpour and no indoor facility back-up (at South Carolina) forced our dual match to be played over two days. The storm not only impacted the tennis but also canceled our flights home and we were forced to make the long drive back to campus. We rolled with the punches, rolled down the interstate and arrived home early Monday evening. Later that night at the Crimson Choice Awards we learned that our team had earned the Top Male Team GPA (3.65) for the 2017 calendar year. A tremendous accomplishment given the number of hours the guys give to the courts and must in turn give to their studies.
This week the conference named the SEC Men's Tennis Community Service Team and Alabama was represented by sophomore Edson Ortiz.
"El Toro" volunteered for a variety of kids clinics offered by the men's team, the Crimson Tide Junior Tennis Academy and the Tuscaloosa Tennis Association. He made numerous outreach trips that included a visit to the Capstone Village retirement home, building a home with teammates through Habitat for Humanity and participated in the Alabama Homecoming Parade. Most recently Edson spent time with 11-year-old Caleb Holcomb, after the team adopted him through the Team Impact program. The Chihuahua, Mexico native, has also served as a SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) Officer with freshman Sam Fischer, where they function as two of the voices for all Crimson Tide student-athletes in regards to enhancing their overall experience and well-being while at Alabama. Congratulations Edson on this well deserved honor.Â
The ITA singles and doubles national rankings were released this week too with junior Mazen Osama sitting at #18 (a career high), which will qualify him for the NCAA individual championships. Maz and Edson are also in the doubles poll coming in at #30. The pair has the opportunity to strengthen their chances in the post season tournament with a good showing this week.
The SEC Championships begin on April 25 and one team will hold the championship trophy after the final is played on April 29. Fittingly the event kicks off with Iron Bowl 2 as Bama and Auburn lock horns for a second time this Spring on Wednesday at 4pm. Earlier this season we defeated the Tigers 4-0 at home but that was then and this is now. Tournament time always adds more fuel to the fire as everyone enters the champs with an 0-0 record. The energy and enthusiasm elevates to a new level and our team is looking forward to an exciting match ahead on our home courts and in front of our fans.
Live scoring and streaming will be available for our out-of-town Bama fans and tickets can be purchased online at rolltide.com or at the tennis facility ticket booth. We hope to not only see you there, but also hear you cheer. Let the games begin!
Roll Tide,
George
