April 5, 2012
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech will play its final home matches of the 2012 spring season this weekend, hosting Virginia Tech and No. 2-ranked Virginia at the Bill Moore Tennis Center, while seniors Kevin King and Dusan Miljevic will compete for the last time at home in a Yellow Jacket uniform.
The 2 p.m. Friday match against Virginia Tech and the 3 p.m. Saturday tilt against Virginia also will be the last men’s matches to be played on the courts of the Bill Moore Tennis Center, which will be demolished following the ACC Tournament later this month to make way for the new Ken Byers Tennis Complex, which will open next January and feature six indoor courts and 10 outdoor courts within the same footprint.
“We hope our fans come out and be part of history this weekend!,” said head coach Kenny Thorne. “A lot of incredible matches, incredible teams and incredible team members played at this facility so our team is honored to be playing on these courts for the last time. Thanks to Bill Moore and his family for the generous financial support throughout numerous years here at Georgia Tech which will last well into the future. Thanks to Ken Byers and his family for spearheading fundraising for the new facility that will be host to new incredible moments in the future for Georgia Tech tennis. Thanks also to Dan Radakovich for his support and commitment to excellence for GT tennis. We are honored to be a part of this history.”
Parking is free for both matches this weekend, available along Fowler Street, 8th Street or in the McCamish Pavilion lot.
Tech (8-9, 3-4 ACC) is coming off a pair of road losses last weekend to No. 24 North Carolina and No. 6 Duke. The Hokies come to Atlanta with an 8-9 overall mark and a 4-3 conference slate. The Cavaliers, pending a Friday match at Clemson, are 17-1 overall and 7-0 in the ACC, with their only loss coming to 3rd-ranked Ohio state on Feb. 19.
King is completing one of the best careers ever for a Georgia Tech tennis player. The senior from Peachtree City, Ga., was the highest-ranked junior player ever to enroll at the Institute. He has been a perennial Dean’s List student and an Academic All-ACC selection and will graduate this spring with his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. On the court, he was an ITA All-American in 2011 and has made the All-ACC team twice. This year he has been ranked as high as 7th in the nation in singles (currently 11th), won the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional and has compiled a 79-38 career record. He and doubles partner Juan Spir have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation and have set Tech records for doubles victories, compiling a 63-21 record.
Miljevic arrived on campus as one of the top junior players in Serbia, became acclimated to the college tennis environment and the Tech academic demands and will graduate this spring with his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Meanwhile, he has developed into a solid contributor in the middle of the Tech lineup and has won 54 career singles matches.
“Kevin and Dusan have become close friends and are doing a great job of leading us this year through some tough times,” said Thorne. “I think their combined GPA is somewhere around 7.5 (and in ME and CE). There’s a stat for you. Kevin has been an incredible leader for our team each year he has been here and has been our captain the past two years. His results are among the best of anyone who has ever come through this program. Fans need to get out and see one of the best singles and doubles player to ever play at Georgia Tech. Do not count this team out with those two guys fighting like they do.”
Spir has played a solid No. 2 for Tech this spring, winning both matches on the road last weekend against ranked opponents to improve his spring record to 11-6. He and King, ranked 7th in the nation as a doubles team, have compiled a 14-2 spring record, 6-1 in ACC play.
Miljevic began the spring playing No. 4 and Juan Melian No. 3, but Thorne switched the two for the Miami match on March 13, and the move has proved good for both players. Miljevic, 6-9 this spring, has gone 3-2 since the switch, while Melian, a junior from Las Palmas, Spain, has gone 4-1 and is 10-6 for the spring.
Freshmen Eduardo Segura (Madrid, Spain) and Sebastian Lopez (Medellin, Colombia) have been solid at the bottom of the order for Tech, Segura going 7-8 and Lopez 7-4.
