March 10, 2006
After opening the 2006 dual match season with eight straight home matches, the No. 18 Georgia Tech men’s tennis team travels to Tallahassee, Fla., for its first road trip of the year. The Jackets (6-2, 0-2 ACC) are set to take on No. 35 Florida State (6-6, 0-1 ACC) Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center on the campus of the Seminoles.
The match between the schools marks the 53rd time the two teams have met, with the Yellow Jackets leading the series, 27-25. Last season Tech fell twice to the Seminoles, including a 4-2 defeat in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
“Florida State is a very good team this year,” said Kenny Thorne. “They got off to a rough start this season with a key injury in their lineup, but they’ve just returned to their full roster, and with him in the lineup they are one of the better teams in the ACC.”
To date, the Yellow Jackets have been led by George Gvelesiani, who holds a 6-2 record at No. 5 singles and a 5-3 record in doubles. In addition, Scott Blackmon and Marko Rajevac each hold a 5-3 record in singles play while the doubles team of Blackmon and Rath stand at 6-2 on the season.
“More than anything, we are trying to focus on ourselves,” said Thorne. “We’ve had two tough losses this past week and our guys have got to show what they are made of in this next match. I think it will be good to get on the road, stay in a hotel, have a change of scenery, and the guys are looking forward to it and the match Sunday.”
Fans may follow livestats of the match at www.seminoles.com.
