University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Netters Depart for ITA Regional Indoor Championships
October 14, 2004 | Men's Tennis
Oct. 14, 2004
The Tennessee men's tennis team travels to Memphis Thursday to participate in the ITA Regional Indoor Championships. The Vols have entered seven players in the singles draw and are sending three doubles teams.
Ockie Oosthuizen, the No. 18 seed, is the only Vol seeded in the singles competition. Oosthuizen is one of 24 preseason ranked singles players participating in the championships.
Matt Berry, although unseeded, looks to continue his red hot start to the fall season. Berry won the consolation singles championship at the Southern Intercollegiates and advanced to the championship match at the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational. Berry is 13-3 this fall and has a 10 match win streak, which is the longest of any Vol.
David Baxendine, Rawl Martin, Ben Rogers and Kiril Tcherveniachki join Berry and Oosthuizen in the main draw of the singles tournament. Johnny Thornton faces Southern Mississippi's Reid Bourgeois at noon Thursday in a qualifying match. Thornton needs to win two matches in the qualifying round to join his teammates in the main draw.
Oosthuizen and Rogers have paired to create an outstanding doubles team. The Vols sophomores are 9-1 on the season, with a 7-1 record against ranked opponents. The Vols duo won the Southern Intercollegiate Championships and advanced to the main draw of the Icy Hot/ITA All-American Championships. Oosthuizen and Rogers have garnered a No.-10 seed in the Regional Indoor Championships. They hold the highest seed among entered doubles teams not ranked in the preseason.
Baxendine and Thornton and Berry and Tcherveniachki are also paired in the doubles competition as the Vols coaches continue to search for the right combination of players for doubles play.
The ITA Regional Indoor Championships run from Oct. 14 through Oct. 18 with the main draw starting on Oct. 15. The singles winner and the doubles finalists advance to the 2004 ITA National Indoor Championships.
Players Mentioned
