University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennis Central: Tennessee Spring Invite
January 15, 2015 | Men's Tennis
Friday, Jan. 16
Saturday, Jan. 17
Sunday, Jan. 18
Monday, Jan. 19
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Parking Information
Where should you leave your car when driving to Goodfriend Tennis Center? Fans can also park in lot N-2 (the old tennis courts along Volunteer Boulevard) and lot N-15. Goodfriend Tennis Center can be accessed through the main doors located in the parking lot of the Andy Holt Apartments, or the elevator entrance near the outdoor courts of Barksdale Stadium.
ROSTER NOTES
- Returning starters: 5 (Mikelis Libietis, Hunter Reese, Brandon Fickey, Andrew Dromsky, Bartosz Sawicki)
- Newcomers: 4 (3 freshmen: Jess Jones, Igor Smelyanski, Luis Valero and 1 sophomore: Jack Schipanski)
- Returning All-Americans: Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese
- Three players on the roster have been ranked in the top 900 in singles in the ATP world tour rankings: Mikelis Libietis (677), Igor Smelyanski (721) and Jack Schipanski (860)
- All newcomers will be pushing for playing time in the lineup. Entering the season, this is likely the Vols' deepest lineup in years. The team is ranked 17th nationally in the preseason
- Ninth year coaching for Sam Winterbotham at Tennessee (178-70 record, 3 SEC titles, 5 ITA top-10 team finishes
DOUBLES DUO ROLLS ON
- Vol seniors Hunter Reese and Mikelis Libietis are entering the final semester of their careers, having played 1 and 2 in the lineup nearly their entire careers
- They won two more major titles during the fall. They were the first team to ever with back-to-back titles at the ITA All-American Championships in October and then won the Knoxville Challenger
- They are 8-0 this season in college play and have a 14-match win streak dating back to last year's NCAA run. Including the Challenger, it's an 18-match winning streak
RETURN TO TOP 20
- Mikelis Libietis is looking to end his career strong. He enters his final spring ranked 16th nationally, his highest ranking in more than a year.
- He split time playing college and Davis Cup events during the fall semester. He represented Latvia twice in Davis Cup ties
- Against college competition, he went 6-2 in singles with a tournament victory at the Wake Forest Invitational
DEBUTS & RETURNS
- This weekend could mark the debut of Tennessee's three freshmen: Jess Jones (Warner Robins, Ga.), Igor Smelyanski (Beer Yaqov, Israel) and Luis Valero (Cali, Colombia).
- Brandon Fickey, senior from Knoxville, missed the fall season after undergoing shoulder surgery at the end of the 2014 season. This weekend could mark his return to competitive action.
SEAN KARL COURT
