April 16, 2009

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis men's tennis squad will open up play at the 2009 Conference USA Championships on Fri., April 17 at 11 a.m., at the UCF Tennis Complex with a face-off against the No. 1 seed Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Memphis comes into Friday's opening round match with a record of 13 wins and 10 losses, the program's best record under fifth-year head coach Paul Goebel. Tulsa, the nation's 32nd-ranked tennis program, comes into the C-USA Tournament trying to defend their 2008 crown. The Golden Hurricane finished the 2009 regular season with a mark of 18-9.

"We are excited about the challenge of playing Tulsa in the first round and we look forward to a good match," said Memphis head coach Paul Goebel.

Memphis continues to be led at the top of the line-up by 103rd-ranked singles player Jorge Vazquez, a native of La Coruna, Spain. Vazquez finished the 2009 regular season with a mark of 12-9. Vazquez has been a staple in the rankings this season beginning the season as the 102nd-best singles player and peaking at No. 51 this season. The No. 51 ranking is the second-highest of any Memphis men's tennis player in the history of the program.

Vazquez will potentially be in line for a match-up with the nation's No. 1 singles player, Arnau Brugues, a native of Barcelona, Spain. Brugues is 21-0 this season including wins over 11 ranked players this season. Last week, Brugues upended Oleksandr Nedovyesov of Oklahoma State, who was ranked No. 1 prior to Brugues victory. Brugues has also defeated No. 3 Robert Farrah of USC and No. 6 Michael Venus of LSU this season.

Scouting Tulsa
Along with Brugues, Tulsa also has gotten help from the rest of their line-up. At the No. 2 spot, Philip Stephens has posted a 13-8 record. Ashley Watling, who has most recently played at No. 4, is 17-5 this season including a 8-2 record over the last 10 matches. In doubles, the Golden Hurricane is led by the 86th-ranked tandem of James Seagraves and Alberto Sottocorno. The pair is 4-3 this season. Tulsa, as a team, has picked up wins over seven ranked opponents this season including conference foes Rice and SMU.

Memphis against Conference USA in 2009
The Tigers have only played one C-USA match this season and that was against Rice. The Owls, who were rated 24th at the time of the match, won the dual, 6-1. The U of M did have several positives to take from the match. Vazquez, at the time the nation's 102nd-best singles player, put himself on the map with a win over No. 26 Bruno Rosa to pick up the Tigers lone point in the match.

Michael Gaerthoeffner on the Prowl
Gaerthoeffner, a sophomore from Rheine, Germany, has won four-straight singles matches for the Tigers. The Memphis netter ended the 2009 regular season with a record of 13-6, including a 8-5 mark at the No. 6 singles position. Gaerthoeffner has helped strengthen the Tigers lower portion of the line-up that struggled early in the season. Michael Hayes, a transplant from Brunel University in England has also helped that cause, posting a 12-3 record this season.

Fischer and Smith: A Dynamite Doubles Duo
Benedikt Fischer and Jordan Smith have posted a 16-7 record in doubles this season while competing in almost all the Memphis dual matches this season. Smith and Fischer are 8-2 in their last 10 doubles matches.

Memphis Singles Records
Jorge Vazquez (Sr.)- 12-9
Benedikt Fischer (Sr.)- 10-12
Charlie Ramsay (Jr.)- 11-9
Spencer Heflin (Jr.)- 1-0
Michael Hayes (Jr.)- 12-3
Jordan Smith (So.)- 3-3
Leon Nasemann (So.)- 12-11
Michael Gaerthoeffner (So.)- 13-6
K.C. Griffin (Fr.)- 4-0
David Henry (Fr.)- 2-3

Memphis Potential Doubles Line-up
Jorge Vazquez/Spencer Heflin- 6-6
Michael Hayes/Charlie Ramsay- 3-2
Jordan Smith/Benedikt Fischer- 16-7
David Henry/K.C. Griffin- 3-0

Tulsa Singles Records
Arnau Brugues (Sr.)- 21-0
Alberto Sottocorno (Sr.)- 13-8
Ross Cunningham (Sr.)- 7-5
Marko Ballok (Jr.)- 10-8
Albert Jou (Jr.)- 1-0
Philip Stephens (Jr.)- 13-8
Victor Kolik (So.)- 6-8
Patrick Collins (Fr.)- 2-0
James Seagraves (Fr.)- 7-4
Wojciech Starakiewics (Fr.)- 5-4
Rusty Turpin (Fr.)- 3-0
Ashley Watling (Fr.)- 17-5

Tulsa Potential Doubles Line-up
Seagraves/Sottocorno, 4-3
Stephens/Watling, 5-1
Ballok/Brugues, 3-1