Sept. 13, 2008

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Senior Benedikt Fischer and sophomore Jordan Smith won the silver doubles flight on Saturday morning on the second day of the Blue and Gray Invitational in Montgomery, Ala. The duo defeated Ike Belk and Derek DiFazio of Clemson. Belk and DiFazio were 8-8 while primarily competing as Clemson's No. 1 doubles team. Fischer and Smith were 4-2 in doubles play last season, playing mostly at the No. 3 doubles spot.

Smith and Fischer defeated their opponents from North Alabama and another pair from the Clemson Tigers on their way to a doubles championship. In the first round, Memphis' pair upended Chris Sodemann and Zac Bereznicki of North Alabama, 8-3. Bereznicki paired with Carlos Cardenas to finish last season as the 20th-best doubles team in Division II. In the second round of the silver flight, Smith and Fischer defeated Clemson's Gera Boryachinsky and Eddy Wang, 9-8(7-0).

In other men's doubles action, Leon Nasemann, a sophomore from Wuppertahl, Germany, and Jorge Vasquez, a senior from La Coruna, Spain, won one of three doubles matches in gold doubles flight. Nasemann and Vazquez fell in the first round on Friday to West Florida's duo of Patrick Bateman and Luis Arboleda, 9-8(7-3). Last season West Florida finished the season as the No. 3 ranked team in Division II. In the second round of competition, Nasemann and Vazquez won, 9-8, over Columbus State's Dmitri Caron and Diego Motivar. The pair followed their second round win with a 8-6 loss to North Alabama's Jan Miskos and Cardenas.

In women's doubles action, Dara Toulch and Kristin Chamberlain won one out of three matches, losing to their opponents from Auburn University Montgomery and Troy in the first and second rounds. The duo came back in third round and defeated their opposition from Samford.

In singles play, Memphis sophomore Michael Gaerthoeffner has advanced to the championship match of the grey singles flight. Gaerthoeffner will face Michael Johnson of Auburn University Montgomery. The Senators won the NAIA National Championship in 2008. In first round play, Gaerthoeffner upended Miskos of North Alabama, 7-5, 6-3. In the second round of competition, he defeated Caron of Columbus State, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. The Blue and Gray Invitational will continue on Sunday, Sept. 13. Fans can view results on the Auburn University Montgomery website at http://www.aum.edu/Athletics/index.aspx