University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Open Season at UVA Ranked Plus One Invitational
September 25, 2008 | Men's Tennis
Sept. 25, 2008
The Tennessee men's tennis team begins the 2008-09 season this weekend, traveling to Charlottesville, Va., for the UVA Ranked Plus One Invitational. Play is scheduled to begin Friday.
"I think everybody on the team is excited to get the fall season started," associate head coach Chris Woodruff said. "(Head coach) Sam (Winterbotham) and I think we have a very good team and just because this is the first tournament of the season doesn't mean we don't expect to have a successful weekend. The guys know what is expected of them and we're confident that they will perform up to our expectations."
The tournament is divided into two 24-player singles draws and three eight-team doubles draws. The 48-player field consists of 18 ranked singles players. UT sophomore John-Patrick Smith, who is 10th in the fall ITA singles poll, is the highest ranked player in the tournament.
Smith was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and Region III Rookie of the Year last season. The Townsville, Australia, native ended his rookie campaign by advancing to the championship match of the NCAA singles tournament. Overall, Smith put together a 33-11 record with 17 of those wins coming over ranked opponents.
The highest ranked player in the SEC will be joined by all seven of his teammates this weekend.
Fellow sophomores Boris Conkic, Matteo Fago and Jeremy Tweedt look to build upon very successful freshman seasons. Conkic is ranked 55th in singles after finishing last season with a 28-6 record. Fago became the first Vol since Brice Karsh in 1990 to go undefeated in SEC play. Tweedt is the most overlooked member of the four-man class, but he still put together a 9-2 record in the SEC last season playing at the No. 5 and 6 spots in the singles lineup.
Juniors Matt Brewer and Davey Sandgren are the most experienced Vols on the roster, and both are expected to provide leadership to a team that despite its many returnees is still a young group.
Sandgren was a member of the singles and doubles lineup last season, and in 2007 as a freshman he was a member of the All-SEC second team. Brewer was UT's seventh man last season, appearing in a handful of SEC matches. The Knoxville native clinched UT's win over South Carolina.
Friday marks the first match for new Vols Christian Hansen and Bryan Swartz. Hansen (Cologne, Germany) and Swartz (Sarasota, Fla.) are both expected to contend for spots in the singles and doubles lineups in the spring.
The invitational is expected to run through Sunday. Every Vol will appear in the singles and doubles portion of the tournament.
Players Mentioned
