March 4, 2004
After picking up a conference victory last weekend over Wake Forest, the No. 51 Georgia Tech (6-3) men’s tennis steps out of ACC action to play against No. 45 Oregon (7-2) and No. 27 Minnesota (3-3).
Friday, the Jackets will face the Ducks at 7 p.m. ET, followed by a 5 p.m. ET meeting against Minnesota Saturday. Both matches will be played on the campus of the University of Oregon and in Tech’s meeting against Oregon, livestats may be followed at www.goducks.com.
“We got a great win last weekend over Wake Forest in a tough match and are really hoping to carry that momentum into this weekend,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “Oregon has had a very good start to the season including a super win over Washington last week, and playing them at home is going to be very tough. Minnesota had a tough loss early in the season, but are a good program from top to bottom and are much better than their ranking indicates.”
The trip to Oregon also represents an opportunity for senior Scott Schnugg, who hails from Medford, Ore., to return to his home state.
“I told Scott early in the season that I wanted to get back out to the west coast before he left and give him a chance to play close to home. This should be a very fun weekend for his friends and family and hopefully he’ll take advantage of that and play well.”
The Jackets have never faced the Ducks and hold a 2-2 series record against Minnesota, their last meeting a loss to the Gophers in 1990.
To date, the Jackets have been led by Schnugg, who has posted a 7-2 record in dual matches while West Nott, holds a 6-3 record. With a 10-4 singles record, Jose Luis Muguruza is ranked No. 90 in singles action in the latest ITA rankings. On the doubles side, the tandem of Schnugg and Marko Rajevac own a 6-2 record at No. 1 doubles and are currently ranked No. 15 in the ITA rankings.
