Wake Forest Athletics
Deacs Start Season at ITA Kick-Off Weekend
1/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 28, 2011
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The 22nd-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team will open its dual season Saturday when it takes on No. 30 Wisconsin at 10 a.m. in Lexington, Ky. as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
The winner of the match will take on the winner of a match between Kentucky and Boise State on Sunday for a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.
The Demon Deacons are in the midst of their most successful period in program history, having received a bid to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 10 seasons and also having reached the semifinals of the ACC Championship in four consecutive years.
Wake returns most of the key contributors from last year's team that tied for third place in the ACC regular season and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Deacons have four ranked singles players in No. 45 Jonathan Wolff, No. 87 Tripper Carleton, No. 100 Danny Kreyman and No. 109 Iain Atkinson.
Wolff, a senior co-captain, turned in an impressive fall season, going 12-4 in singles, including five wins over ranked opponents. His best results of the fall came at the prestigious ITA All-American Championships where he won his way through qualifying and made it to the Round of 32 before falling to No. 10 Austen Childs of Louisville. Wolff also partnered with Kreyman to reach the quarterfinals of the ITA Carolina Regional doubles draw.
Carleton will be looking to build on the impressive rookie season that he put together in 2010, where he earned All-ACC honors and became the first freshman in Wake Forest history to receive a bid to the NCAA Singles Championship. The Jenkintown, Pa. native went 9-5 in fall singles play, highlighted by a quarterfinal appearance at the ITA Carolina Regional. Carleton teamed with Atkinson to reach the championship match of their doubles flight at the UVA Ranked Plus One Invitational before falling in a tiebreak.
Senior co-captain Atkinson also returns for Wake Forest after earning doubles All-America honors last season by reaching the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship with former partner Steven Forman ('10). Atkinson posted a 9-4 fall record with his best result coming at the ITA Carolina Regional where he reached the quarterfinals.
Kreyman, a sophomore, rounds out the Demon Deacons' ranked players. The Long Beach, N.Y. native posted 11 singles wins this fall, the second-most of any Wake Forest player. Kreyman won the consolation of his flight at the UVA Classic and also partnered with Wolff in doubles as the duo reached the finals of their flight at the UVA Ranked Plus One Invitational and the quarterfinals of the ITA Carolina Regional.
Two other key members of last year's squad will return to the Demon Deacons this year. Sophomore Zach Leslie went 7-6 this fall, and David Hopkins is back for Wake Forest after missing the 2010 dual match season with an injury, also notching a 7-6 fall record.
Wake Forest added one newcomer in January in New Zealand native Adam Lee. Lee boasts impressive junior credentials, having won two ITF juniors singles titles and one doubles title, and finishing as a singles finalist in three other ITF events. He achieved a peak junior ranking of No. 91 in the world.
Wake Forest's first home match of the season will come against VCU on Feb. 13 at noon at the Indoor Tennis Center.
Players Mentioned
