Men's Tennis Opening Conference Play Wednesday

Wednesday, March 15

Memphis, Tenn.

12:00 pm

University of Memphis

Temple University

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Mar 14, 2017 | Men's Tennis

Tigers hosting Temple at noon.

By: Tammy DeGroff

MEMPHIS – The University of Memphis men's tennis team is the highest-ranked team in the American Athletic Conference, moving to number 27 in this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings. Memphis (11-3, 0-0 American) will host Temple (10-7, 1-2 American) at noon, Wednesday, in the Tigers' first conference match-up of the season at the Racquet Club of Memphis.

About Memphis (11-3, 0-0 American)

Memphis is the highest ranked of six teams in the American in this week's ITA rankings (the league only has nine schools that sponsor men's tennis). The Tigers are ranked No. 27 in the country, dropping one spot after falling 4-3 at No. 4 ranked Oklahoma State and sweeping San Diego State, 4-0, the next day in a neutral match.
The other five ranked American teams? Tulane (No. 30), USF (No. 32), SMU (No. 33), Tulsa (No. 45) and UCF (No. 48).
Andrew Watson leads Memphis in singles wins with a 17-6 overall mark and a 9-1 dual season record. He suffered his first dual loss of the spring at Oklahoma State and did not finish his match against San Diego State with the match outcome already decided and a road trip through snow back to Memphis on tap.
Watson and Lemke bring a three-match winning streak at one singles in to Wednesday's match-up. The duo is now 6-4 in dual season play at one.
Lemke picked up a pair of singles wins last week to move to 7-5 on the year in dual season singles and back to 5-5 at three. Lemke's win at Oklahoma State helped Memphis come back from a 3-2 deficit to tie the match at 3-all. Lemke's win at OSU was his first second against a ranked opponent this year and the first of the spring.
Ryan Peniston is looking to restart a winning streak. The junior fell on the road at Oklahoma State to fall to 6-3 at one for the spring. On the year, he is 15-7 and is 2-3 against ranked opponents.
Freshman Jan Pallares is back in the win column after a loss in the Tigers' last home match. The freshman is now 5-3 at five singles and 7-4 overall in dual season play. In his first full year of college tennis, he is 16-9.
Felix Rauch also grabbed a win in the Tigers' last match to move to 12-10 on the year and 6-5 in dual season play. In doubles, he and Peniston have won eight straight matches at two, including a 3-0 mark against ranked opponents for the year.

About Temple (10-7, 1-2 American)

Temple has won six of its last seven matches, including a 7-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a match played in Memphis on Tuesday.
Temple has already played three American foes, losing 4-3 to East Carolina, then sweeping UConn, 7-0. Most recently, the Owls played at Tulsa, falling 5-2.
The Owls won the doubles point at Tulsa with wins at one and three doubles. Francisco Bohorquez, who won at three doubles with teammate Uladzimir Dorash, picked up the lone singles win for Temple in straight sets at five.
In Temple's win at Navy, the Owls won five of six singles matches and grinded three of them out in three-setters. Artem Kapshuk, Floridan Mayer and Thomas Sevel all won in three sets, including a tiebreaker for Mayer in the third. Uladzimir Dorash was the lone Owl to go three sets and not get the win, falling 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 at four.