Tennis team competes at UA Tourney
By Eric Turner/ Student Publications
Jose Muguruza returns a ball during a match last spring. He lost to Alabama's Saketh Myeni this weekend at the University of Alabama Tournament. The team performed well overall, with three members competing in the finals of their respective brackets.
Tech's group of talented freshmen got another chance to show off their skills last weekend in Tuscaloosa. Doug Kenny, Eliot Potvin and Ryan Smith joined seniors Scott Blackmon, George Gvelesiani and Jose Muguruza to participate in last weekend's University of Alabama Tournament.
Two of the freshmen advanced on day one. In the [Joe] Namath singles bracket, Smith defeated University of Tennessee-Martin's Alfredo Krywacz, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. In the [Kenny] Stabler singles bracket, Potvin beat Mississippi State's Max Genuini, also in three sets; 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. Blackmon also participated in the Stabler bracket, defeating University of Alabama-Birmingham's Alex Emery in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.
In the [John] Hannah singles draw, Doug Kenny battled in the first set, but ultimately dropped the match to UT-Martin's Andrey Yespisov, 5-7, 2-6. Gvelesiani, playing in the [Johnny] Musso singles bracket, lost to Mississippi State's Ryan Farlow in straight sets, 2-6, 0-6. In the [Gene] Stallings bracket, Muguruza lost to Alabama's Saketh Myneni in straight sets as well, 2-6, 6-7 (6).
In the first day's doubles action, the team of Blackmon and Smith advanced to the quarterfinals in the White doubles bracket. In the round of 16 the team defeated UAB's Hanns Spangeburg and Adrian Tollstem in come-from behind fashion. Blackmon and Smith trailed 7-4 before taking five straight games for the win (9-7). Unfortunately, the duo fell in the next round, 8-5, to Alabama's Myneni and Trey Walston.
The Tide doubles bracket featured Gvelesiani and Kenny in a match against Andrew Falsenthal and Houssam Yassine of Alabama, 1-8. In the Red doubles bracket, Muguruza and Potvin put up a strong fight, losing 9-7 to the duo of Matt Brewer and Chris Racz of Tennessee.
The second day fared better for the Jackets. In the non-consolation rounds' Namath bracket, Smith lost to Pepperdine's Mahmoud Kamel, 3-6, 4-6.
In the Stabler bracket, Potvin lost to Troy's Bastian Maucher after a tough first set, 6-7 (5), 2-6. Blackmon advanced in the same bracket, beating North Carolina State's Eric Turner, 7-6 (4), 6-4. The competition proved tough, though, as Blackmon lost to Alabama's Sammy Struyf, 2-6, 2-6.
On the final day of competition, three Jackets competed in the finals of their brackets. In the Stallings singles consolation bracket, Muguruza defeated Abe Souza of Illinoi in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2. Kenny lost in the consolation finals of the Hannah Singles consolation bracket to Hank Grant. The first set was close as Grant edged Kenny 7-5, but then pulled away in the second set for the win, 6-2. Kenny, however, did team up with Gvelesiani in the Tide bracket doubles consolation match to win the bracket in a walkover.
The Jacksonville State team of Chris Duke and Joey Unkenholz decided not to play the match.
With the fall season over, Tech prepares for the spring season with individual matches against other teams. The Tech men's team will resume play at the end of January when they take on Lipscomb and Gardner-Webb at home, January 27th, 2008.
