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VOLS SPLIT SQUADS FOR ALL-AMERICAN, GEORGIA TECH INVITE
For this second week in a row, the Tennessee Volunteers are heading to a pair of tennis tournaments over the weekend.
This
time, three Vols are bound for the annual ITA All-American
Championships in Tulsa, Okla., and four others are headed to the
Georgia Tech Fall Invitational in Atlanta. Both tournaments begin
Saturday morning.
For a look at both events:
ITA ALL-AMERICAN
Two
of the three Vols in this season's All-American field will be making
their first appearance at the annual event. With four freshmen on
Tennessee's roster, that stat should not come as much of a surprise.
Between
pre-qualifying and qualifying rounds, the All-American has the
notoriety of being the longest individual college tennis event on the
calendar. The tournament spans nine days, beginning Saturday and
running through next Sunday, Oct. 9.
The pre-qualifying
singles kicks off Saturday and will feature two Vols: sophomore Jarryd
Chaplin and freshman Brandon Fickey. If they win their matches, they
would advance on to play three qualifying matches.
Junior Edward Jones, the Vols’ lone returner to this event, will begin play Monday with the qualifying rounds.
Fickey
enters the weekend with a 4-2 record to start his collegiate career,
having reached the finals of the Tennessee Fall Invitational two weeks
earlier. Chaplin joined the Vols in January, so he is entering his
first full season this fall. He has a 2-3 record.
Jones is
coming off a solid weekend in California, going 2-1 at the Land Rover
Napa Valley Classic. He started in the pre-qualifying at last year’s
All-American, winning three matches before losing his fourth.
Historically
speaking, Tennessee has produced one All-American singles champion:
John-Patrick Smith, who pulled off the feat as a junior in 2009. That
same year, he and Boris Conkic won the doubles title in their first
tournament together.
GEORGIA TECH FALL INVITATIONAL
Four
Vols are headed for the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational, which has now
been a tournament stop for Tennessee the last three seasons.
Junior
Taylor Patrick and freshman Peter Nagovnak both drew seeded opponents
in the first round of the top flight. Patrick faces eighth-seeded
Gerardo Meza of Clemson, and Nagovnak plays fifth-seeded Vikram Reddy,
who played No. 3 in Alabama’s lineup last season.
Nagovnak
enters the tournament 4-2, having gone 1-1 last week at the Southern
Intercollegiate Championships in Athens, Ga. Patrick has not played
since the Tennessee Fall Invitational two weeks ago and is 1-1.
Senior
Bryan Swartz, who leads the Vols with a 6-1 record, is the No. 2 seed
in the second flight and received a bye in the first round. Sophomore
Colton Norton also got a bye and plays Georgia’s Will Oliver in the
round of 16.
Rhyne Williams won the Georgia Tech tournament as a freshman in 2009, beating teammate Matteo Fago in the final.
ITA All-American Championships
Tulsa, Okla
Saturday’s Pre-Qualifying Draws
First Round
Brandon Fickey, UT, vs. Jacob Straus, Oklahoma, 8 a.m. Central
Second Round
[5-8] Jarryd Chaplin, UT, vs. Gustav Kallen, St. John’s/Mark DeCastro, San Francisco, 1:30 p.m. Central
Georgia Tech Fall Invitational
Atlanta
Saturday’s Draws
Flight A
Round of 32
Taylor Patrick, UT, vs. [8] Gerardo Meza, Clemson
Peter Nagovnak, UT, vs. [5] Vikram Reddy, Alabama
Flight B
Round of 16
Colton Norton, UT, vs. Will Oliver, Georgia
[2] Bryan Swartz, UT, vs. Michael Reilly, UNC-Wilmington/Tanner Brown, Lipscomb
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