MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama men’s tennis team will begin the 2012 fall slate Friday at the UNO Big Easy Tennis Classic in New Orleans, La.
The event will take place Sept. 21-23 at the University Tennis Center.
“This weekend is the first fall tournament so it’s going to be interesting to see how the guys do,” said USA head coach Nick Brochu. “We have been practicing for three weeks already and I know the guys are anxious to start the fall season. We are looking for solid results from everyone on the team, not just a couple of guys. If someone has exceptional results that would be great, but most importantly we are looking for good results from all six players.”
South Alabama will send six of the nine players on the roster, including senior Cody Hall (Albuquerque, N.M.). Hall went 15-8 in the spring and picked up three wins against ranked teams.
“Cody had a good, solid season for us last year,” said Brochu. “This year he’s looking to go to the next level. I explained to him that in order to reach that goal he has to work hard at practice, which he does, but he also has to start early in the season. He can’t just wait until the last match to turn it on.”
This weekend will also be the first time for newcomer Shayann Vaezzadeh (Bavent, France) to test his skills with the Jaguars. Vaezzadeh compiled 19 wins for the Colonels and went 12-7 his freshman year.
“Shayann is a transfer so he’s played two years of college tennis already and he is familiar with the tournament routine,” said Brochu. “We used to play against him and now we’re going to play with him. It’s good to have him on our side. He’s a crafty lefty and he’s going to bring us a lot of wins.”
Also making the trip to New Orleans are sophomores Daniel Leitner (Niederfischbach, Germany) and Blake Gregor (Griffith, New South Wales, Australia). Leitner finished the spring season with a 15-4 record, including an 11-match win streak. Gregor claimed the singles title at the Seminole Invitational last fall with three straight-sets wins and finished the year with a 15-9 overall mark.
“Last year we had Daniel and Blake, who each had a great fall with big results and were very solid during the season,” said Brochu. “This year I think they’re really looking forward to having great results again.”
Teams included in this weekend’s tournament are host New Orleans, Alcorn State, Xavier (La.), Loyola, and Tulane.
“We use the fall tournaments to try different doubles combinations,” said Brochu. “This weekend we are going to try some new combinations and practice different teams to see what fits best for the spring. We’re looking forward to a good tournament at UNO and a good rest of the fall.”
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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