Men's Tennis Falls at No. 30 Alabama, 7-0

Feb. 10, 2007

Tuscaloosa, Ala. - The Furman men's tennis team continued its road stretch against some of the country's best, falling 7-0 at 30th-ranked Alabama at Hank Crisp Indoor Facility on Saturday morning. The Paladins, 1-4 on the season, have now faced three opponents ranked in the top 30. The host Crimson Tide improved to 3-1 overall.

The Paladins posted their only win of the day in doubles action. At the number one spot, sophomore Bo Ladyman and senior Brian Crook topped Mat Thibaudeau and Dan Buikema, 8-6. While the other two matches were competitive, Bama pulled out 8-4 and 8-6 victories at the number two and three positions, respectively.

In singles action, Paladin sophomore Andy Juc played an impressive match at number one, but fell in three sets to No. 43 Joseph Jung, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Furman senior Chris Gilli dropped his first match of the season in a 7-5, 6-3 defeat to Thibaudeau at number five.

Furman will play two more matches on the road before its home opener. The Paladins travel to Conway, S.C., to battle Coastal Carolina and Campbell on Saturday, Feb. 17. Play begins at 9 a.m.

#30 Alabama 7, #72 Furman 0

Doubles:
1. Bo Ladyman/Brian Cook (FU) def. Mat Thibaudeau/Dan Buikema (UA) 8-6
2. #44 Joseph Jung/Saketh Myneni (UA) def. Ryan Friend/Jordan Walters (FU) 8-4
3. Javier Bes/Billy Mertz (UA) def. Andy Juc/Scott Khaler (Fur) 8-6

Order of finish: 2,1,3

Singles:
1. No. 43 Joseph Jung (UA) def. Andy Juc (FU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
2. Sammy Struyf (UA) def. Bo Ladyman (FU) 6-4, 6-4*
3. Billy Mertz (UA) def. Daniel Knause (FU) 6-2, 6-3
4. Houssam Yassine (UA) def. Jordan Walters (FU) 6-4, 6-0
5. Mathieu Thibaudeau (UA) def. Chris Gilli (FU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Saketh Myneni (UA) def. Michael Kociecki (FU) 6-2, 6-1

Order of finish: 4, 3, 2, 1, 6
* Match-clinching victory