Feb. 5, 2015
THE FLATS – Beginning the toughest stretch of its pre-conference schedule in the dual-match season, Georgia Tech is home again this weekend to host fourth-ranked Georgia at 5 p.m. Friday evening at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
MATCH INFORMATION – Admission is free to the match, though capacity at the Bill Moore Indoor Courts is limited. Parking is available for free along Fowler Street, Eighth Street, the McCamish Pavilion lot and the O’Keefe lot.
TEAM UPDATE – Georgia Tech, ranked No. 75 this week in the ITA weekly poll, is 5-0 following a a pair of wins last Saturday over East Tennessee State (6-1) and The Citadel (7-0). The Yellow Jackets have lost just three points in five matches so far. Georgia comes in at 3-1 against a strong schedule after splitting SEC-Pac-12 Showdown matches last weekend against No. 4 UCLA (a 4-2 win) and No. 1 Southern California (a 4-0 loss). Tech comes into this match with some encouragement, having won four of seven singles matches and two of three doubles contests against the Bulldogs in the MLK Invitational on Jan. 19. The Jackets next three matches are against teams ranked No. 4 (Georgia), 38 (Auburn) and 20 (Tennessee).
SINGLES UPDATE – Senior Eduardo Segura (Madrid, Spain) continues to play the best tennis of his career, with a 18-6 overall record and a 3-1 mark in dual matches this year at the No. 3 position. Sophomore Carlos Benito (Madrid, Spain) also is hot at the No. 5 spot, having won all seven of his matches this spring, including three in the MLK Invitational. In that event, he defeated Georgia’s Ben Wagland in three sets. Eubanks is 6-2 this spring at the No. 2 position, having defeated the Bulldogs’ Nathan Pasha, ranked 15th nationally, in the MLK event, and his only loss came to 14th-ranked Axel Alvarez Llamas of Oklahoma the same weekend. Junior Nathan Rakitt (Marietta, Ga.), who missed opening weekend with a concussion, is 3-0 in dual matches playing at the No. 1 position. Freshman Michael Kay (Alpharetta, Ga.) also is 6-2 this spring playing the No. 4 spot, while sophomore Cole Fiegel (Alachua, Fla.), 5-0 in dual matches, has given the Jackets strength at the bottom of the lineup.
DOUBLES UPDATE – Benito and Segura are 3-1 in their four dual-match decisions this spring. They were ranked No. 20 in the fall but struggled until the end, when they won four straight. In the spring, they went 2-1 in the MLK Invitational, which featured wins over No. 16 Columbia and No. 8 Georgia and a loss in a tiebreaker against No. 2 Oklahoma. Eubanks and Kay have teamed up to go 2-2, while Rakitt and Fiegel are 2-0 moving between the other two positions.
HEAD COACH Kenny Thorne SAYS – “Always a great atmosphere at this match. Need to get all Georgia Tech fans out early to the match if you want to get in. It would be nice to fill the place with gold and white. The tough part of our schedule is starting and we are as ready as we can be. Our focus is on ourselves and doing the right thing and competing hard.”
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S TENNIS
Georgia Tech’s men’s tennis team is in its 17th year under head coach Kenny Thorne. The Yellow Jackets have played in the NCAA Championship 14 times. Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GT_MTEN). For more information on Tech men’s tennis, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
