University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Begin First Leg of the Collegiate Grand Slam
October 04, 2001 | Men's Tennis
Oct. 4, 2001
STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga.--The Tennessee tennis team begins play at the ITA All-America Championships this weekend at the Lincoln Tennis Center in Stone Mountain, Ga.
The ITA All-America Championships takes place over the next two weekends and is the first leg of the collegiate grand slam, as well as the first ITA National Championship of the season.
The Vols will be represented by three players in Friday's pre-qualification rounds, while two Vols have been given automatic births into the main draw beginning Thursday, Oct. 11.
Coach Michael Fancutt's Vols will be led by Mario Toledo, ranked No. 16 nationally and was a semifinalist at last weekend's adidas Invitational. Simon Rea has started the fall season with a bang, posting a 12-3 record to go along with his championship at the Southern Intercollegiate (Sept. 21-23) and a runner-up appearance at the MTSU Fall Invitational.
Tennessee freshmen Michael Maddox and Mark Dietrich have both started their Vol careers well, with 7-4 and 5-2 records respectively. Maddox was a finalist in the division III bracket at the Southern Intercollegiate two weeks ago, while Dietrich has reached the semifinal round of both the Southern and the adidas Invitationals. Sophomore Wade Orr will join Toledo as an automatic birth in the main draw by virtue of his ITA Summer National Championship. Orr has not faired as well this fall only managing a 5-5 record, but looks to get on track at this event.
Dietrich, Maddox and Rea will begin pre-qualification Friday morning (Oct. 5).
