April 1, 2003
ATLANTA — The 14th-ranked Georgia Tech men’s tennis team will look to rebound from a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference losses over the weekend when it hosts 18th-ranked South Carolina in a non-conference match that will get under way at 1 p.m. on Wednesday at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
Both the Yellow Jackets (11-5) and Gamecocks (13-4) will be looking for a turnaround after each losing their last two outings. Tech had won three-straight matches prior to falling to both No. 11 Duke and Wake Forest, while South Carolina had won two in a row prior to losses to Auburn and 16th-ranked Alabama.
Despite not recording team wins in its last two outings, the Jackets have gotten a number of solid singles and doubles performances from senior Roger Anderson and junior West Nott. Anderson, who is currently ranked 26th in the nation, recorded a pair of singles wins against the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons, dominating Duke’s 24th-ranked Phillip King at No. 1 singles by scores of 6-1 and 6-4. He then needed three sets to dispose of Wake’s Derrick Spice, winning by a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (3) score. Anderson is second on the team with a 21-6 overall singles record and is 9-5 in dual match play.
Perhaps the most steady performer has been Nott, who leads the team with a 14-2 dual match record and is 20-8 overall in singles play. On the weekend, he recorded a pair of victories, including a 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 win over Duke’s Jason Zimmermann and a marathon 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (3) win over Wake’s Mike Murray, both at No. 4 singles.
In doubles action, Tech’s team of Anderson and junior Scott Schnugg has led the way at the No. 1 spot in the lineup. The duo has vaulted to No. 19 in the latest ITA poll and recording their most impressive win of the season by an 8-5 score over Duke’s eighth-ranked tandem of Phillip King and Michael Yani on Saturday.
The Jackets and Gamecocks will be meeting for the 29th time in history with South Carolina leading the series by a 24-4 margin. The upper hand in the series of late has been South Carolina’s as it has won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the schools.
A full recap of Wednesday’s match will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
