Men’s tennis starts season with win
By Jason Ossey/ Student Publications
Sophomore All-American David North opened the season against Furman winning in both his doubles and singles matches Wednesday.
The men’s tennis team hit the ground running with a 7-0 victory over Furman in its first game of the season.
The No. 29 Jackets opened with a doubles victory from the duo of senior Marko Rajevac and sophomore David North, who downed Furman’s Ben Pauluhn and Greg Maarchalk 8-2 at the No. 1 position.
Furman’s Bo Ladyman and Brian Crook won the No. 2 doubles game versus sophomores Jordan Delass and George Gvelesiani 8-2.
The Jackets came back as Scott Blackmon and Zachary Rath won the doubles point 8-4 against Scott Kahler and Will Keifer to secure the doubles point.
“We knew that Furman is a good team and they were going to fight to win. We knew we had to match their pace and match their intensity,” Rajevac said.
That focus paid off as Tech proceeded to win all six singles matches. No. 1 Rajevac defeated Ben Pauluhn in three sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. No. 2 Rath won over Andy Juc in two games 7-5, 6-4 followed by No. 3 North defeating Maarchalk 6-4, 6-3.
The Jackets continued to dominate as No. 4 Delass won over Ladyman 7-6, 6-0. No. 5 Gvelesiani downed Crook 7-5, 2-6, 7-6, and No. 6 Blackmon defeated Knause 6-3, 6-4.
“We all rose to the occasion today. We won and that’s the important part. The team is looking strong, and I could tell we had a lot of confidence while playing,” North said.
North and Rajevac are the two returning All-Americans on the team. Last year the two teamed up in doubles play and advanced to the NCAA Doubles Quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champions John Isner and Antonio Ruiz of Georgia.
Rajevac, a native of Yugoslavia, is the lone senior on the team and has lettered all three years and has a positive outlook on the season.
“It’s always nerve-racking playing the first match. We had difficulties at first, but we pulled through. This season is already looking good,” Rajevac said.
One game this season the Jackets are really looking forward to is against the UGA Bulldogs. “The match everyone looks forward to is always UGA. We lost to them last year, so I really want to beat them this year,” North said.
Until then, fans can watch the No. 29 Jackets (1-0) face No. 35 Middle Tennessee State (2-1) Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. in the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
