Jan. 24, 2014
THE FLATS – Continuing its stretch of 10 consecutive home matches to open the spring schedule, Georgia Tech faces its biggest dual match test of the young season Saturday when No. 71 North Florida visits the Ken Byers Tennis Complex for a 12 noon contest.
Admission is free for the match, and parking is available on Fowler Street, 8th Street and in the McCamish Pavilion lot.
The Yellow Jackets (2-0), who won their first two dual matches two weeks ago against Georgia Southern and Stetson, hosted three top-25 teams last weekend in a “hidden dual” event, and head coach Kenny Thorne came away feeling confident in his team despite a thin, six-player roster.
“Our team is concerned with improving on this past weekend,” said Thorne. “We played some of the best teams in the country and we battled hard. We need to improve on only a few points and play them with more poise. UNF is a very talented team and it will be a very good match for our GT fans to come out and see. It has been cold outside so it will be a good time for fans to come indoors and enjoy some great tennis. Every team from here on out is very tough.”
Freshman Cole Fiegel (Alachua, Fla.) turned in the best singles performance of the weekend, winning two of three matches to improve to 10-8 for the year. Classmate Carlos Benito (Madrid, Spain) went 1-2, but his win came against a foe ranked 54th, and he remains Tech’s victory leader in singles at 14-9, while sophomore Nathan Rakitt (Marietta, Ga.) is 10-9.
Benito and junior Eduardo Segura (Madrid, Spain) went 2-1 in doubles in the tournament and are 4-1 for the spring at the No. 1 position, including a win over a Georgia team ranked No. 12 in the nation. Rakitt and Casey Kay (Atlanta, Ga.), who has teamed up at the No. 2 spot, knocked off a Bulldog team with two top-50 players.
