April 8, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - The University of Memphis men's tennis team (7-11, 1-3 C-USA) will play its final road match of the season, Wednesday, at UALR, beginning at 1 p.m. The Tigers are coming off a 4-3 Conference USA win over Southern Miss, while UALR is coming in having lost two close matches to ranked opponents.

Memphis freshman Michael Gaerthoeffner scored the game-winning point for the Tigers in the 4-3 win at Southern Miss. The win was the 18th of the season for the freshman, and his 10th win since dual season play began in January. He is now 8-6 at No. 4 singles and is one of three Tigers coming in to the UALR match on a winning streak.

Teammate Benedikt Fischer is also coming in off a win, having improved to 12-8 on the season and 10-6 in dual season play. The junior is now 9-6 at No. 6 singles and is 2-2 in league play in singles. He has also played doubles with three different partners since dual season play began in January, with a 6-3 doubles mark.

Amrit Narasimhan will be playing his final road match as a Tiger and is coming off a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles at USM last weekend. The win improved his mark to 7-10 at No. 1 singles and to 12-16 in singles on the season. Narasimhan and Charlie Ramsay also picked up a singles win at No. 1 at Southern Miss, improving to 9-8 at the top doubles spot for the dual season. The tandem has combined record of 16-9 for the year.

UALR is 13-10 on the year and is coming off a tough 4-3 loss to No. 68 Middle Tennessee in Sun Belt play. That loss followed another tough league loss to No. 42 Denver, 4-3. The Trojans are led in singles play by sophomore Marko Ballok, who is 18-4 in singles this season, including a 15-4 mark at No. 4 singles. Teammate Edson Abrao is next with a 16-6 record, including a 13-4 mark at No. 3. Ballok has won seven straight matches, while Abrao has won two straight.

Junior German Perez has played the top singles spot in the last handful of matches for UALR, and is 1-4 at the top singles spot and 6-6 at the No. 2 spot. Senior Rain Roigas has also played a bunch of matches at No. 1, sporting a 7-6 mark.

In doubles, the top tandem is Abrao and Roigas, who are 15-5 at the No. 1 doubles spot. The team of Marko Ballok and Igor Nikitin are 10-5 at No. 2 and the tandem of Juan Carlos Nunez and German Perez is 9-3 at the No. 3 spot to give the Trojans a formidable doubles line-up.

Memphis will play one more home match following the UALR road contest. The Tigers will host No. 68 Middle Tennessee, Friday, at 2 p.m. at Rhodes College.