Jan. 29, 2011

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--The No. 58 University of Memphis men's tennis program improved to 2-1 on the season with a 6-1 decision over Tennessee Tech Friday night at The Racquet Club of Memphis.

The Tigers started off strong in their first home match of the season, sweeping their way through doubles for the first point of the match. No. 1 doubles was the first to finish up, when 52nd-ranked Joe Salisbury and David O'Hare downed TTU's Josh Girling and Vasily Eremeev, 8-3. The tandem now has a 1-2 mark overall.

Memphis netters wouldn't let up in singles competition either, quickly clinching the final three points, and the match, with wins from Salisbury and freshmen Cedric de Zutter and Johnny Grimal.

The only point TTU captured came at No. 1 singles, where junior David Henry took both sets to tiebreakers, ultimately falling 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3).

Up next for Memphis is UT-Chattanooga in a match slated for 8 a.m. Sunday morning at The Racquet Club of Memphis.

#58 University of Memphis 6, Tennessee Tech 1

Singles competition
1. Alex Chen (TTU) def. David Henry (MEM) 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3)
2. Joe Salisbury (MEM) def. Josh Girling (TTU) 6-1, 6-2
3. Leon Nasemann (MEM) def. Justin Kirstein (TTU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Johnny Grimal (MEM) def. Vasily Eremeev (TTU) 6-1, 6-0
5. John Taylor (MEM) def. James Crawford (TTU) 7-5, 6-2
6. Cedric de Zutter (MEM) def. Lloyd Harris (TTU) 6-1, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Joe Salisbury/David O'Hare (MEM) def. Josh Girling/Vasily Eremeev (TTU) 8-3
2. Jordan Smith/David Henry (MEM) def. Lloyd Harris/James Crawford (TTU) 8-6
3. Leon Nasemann/John Taylor (MEM) def. Alex Chen/Justin Kirstein (TTU) 8-5
Match Notes:
Tennessee Tech 0-3
University of Memphis 2-1; National ranking #58
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,2,3) Singles (2,6,4*,5,3,1)