University of Memphis Athletics
Men's Tennis Wrapping up Home Stand This Weekend
Apr 02, 2015 | Men's Tennis
MEMPHIS - -
The University of Memphis men's tennis team (11-6, 3-0 American) will play its final two home matches of the season this weekend when Middle Tennessee (11-9) and VCU come to town for a pair of non-conference contests. Memphis will face in-state foe Middle Tennessee, Friday, at 2 p.m., then will face VCU, Sunday, at noon. Both matches will be played at The Racquet Club of Memphis. Admission is free for both contests.
Memphis has won five straight matches coming in to Friday's contest against Middle Tennessee.
Senior Connor Glennon will be stepping foot onto the Racquet Club of Memphis courts for his final two collegiate home matches over the weekend. Glennon is currently 10-3 at No. 1 singles and needs just three more wins for a second 20-win season in his Tiger career. Ranked No. 48 in the country in the latest singles poll, Glennon already has 31 career wins at No. 1 singles, just nine shy of Phil Chamberlain's mark of 40 that is the school record. No Memphis player since Richard Magney (1998-2002) has won 29 or more matches at No. 1 singles until Glennon moved to 31 wins this season.
Behind Glennon in the lineup are a pair of Memphis freshmen who already have 20 wins on the season. Ryan Peniston grabbed a pair of wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff earlier this week to improve to 21-7 on the year and 11-3 in dual season play. Peniston has played one through four in the Tigers' lineup, winning a pair of matches at No. 1 on Tuesday. Between his 3-1 mark at No. 2 and the two wins at No. 1, Peniston has won five straight matches heading in to Friday afternoon.
Andrew Watson leads Memphis with 23 singles wins this season, sporting a 23-12 mark on the year and an 11-5 mark in dual season play. Ranked No. 58 in the country in the latest singles report, Watson is two wins shy of tying Joe Salisbury's single season mark for wins (25), set last season.
Patrick Mayer and Kai Lemke are also well in to double digit win territory. Mayer is 13-16 on the season and 6-8 in dual season play. He has won three straight and is 4-4 on the year at No. 3 and 2-4 at No. 4. Lemke is 11-6 in his first semester of college tennis, sporting a 3-1 mark at No. 4 and a 5-3 record at No. 5.
On the doubles side, Glennon has teamed with Lemke to earn a national ranking of No. 60 in the country. The duo is 8-3 at No. 1 doubles and is 7-3 in their last 10 matches together. The tandem of Louis Asser and Watson also has eight dual doubles wins on the year, sporting an 8-4 mark at No. 2 and a 9-6 record on the year.
Memphis has used two different tandems at No. 3 doubles. Shakeel Manji has teamed with Ryan Peniston for a 3-1 mark at No. 3, matching his mark at No. 3 with Mayer.
Middle Tennessee comes in to the weekend with an 11-9 overall record and has won two out of the last three outings. Senior Ben Davis' return to the Blue Raider lineup has sparked Middle Tennessee to wins facing a schedule that features four of six matches against ranked opponents.
The Blue Raiders took No. 13 TCU to the wire without Davis in the lineup back at the beginning of March, falling 4-3. Ettore Zito has stepped up to post a 7-3 mark at No. 1 singles, including a straight set win over No. 28 ranked Cameron Norrie of TCU in that outing. With Davis and his 4-3 mark at No. 1 and 2-0 mark at No. 2 back in the lineup, the Blue Raiders have some depth back as Robin Fiethmueller also provides double digits wins on the year (11, including an 8-1 mark at No. 6) while Yannick Born and Gian Issa both have nine wins on the year playing throughout the mid-half of the lineup.
There are coaching ties between Memphis and Middle Tennessee. Memphis head coach Paul Goebel is a Middle Tennessee graduate, and Middle Tennessee's first year assistant coach is Jordan Smith, a former Tiger who played his four seasons under Goebel's guidance. Smith then coached through The Racquet Club of Memphis before starting with the Blue Raiders this season.
Middle Tennessee will remain in Memphis to face VCU, Saturday, following the completion of the Memphis vs. USF women's tennis match. Memphis will then face VCU, Sunday, at noon. Admission to all of the matches at The Racquet Club of Memphis this weekend is free.
Players Mentioned
