Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Travel to Clemson, No. 21 Georgia Tech
3/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 24, 2011
The 39th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team hits the road for two critical ACC matches this weekend, looking for its first conference win of the season. The Deacs will face No. 58 Clemson on Friday at 2:30 p.m. before heading to Atlanta to take on No. 21 Georgia Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out...
The Demon Deacons played No. 22 North Carolina tough, winning three singles matches, but they were unable to find the deciding fourth point, falling 4-3 to the Tar Heels at Hanes Park last Sunday.
Wake chalked up two ranked victories in the match. At No. 2 doubles, playing together for the first time this season, Iain Atkinson and David Hopkins teamed up to take down No. 59 Joey Burkhardt and Stefan Hardy. In singles, Danny Kreyman defeated No. 103 Burkhardt 7-6 (2), 4-6, 1-0 (2) at the No. 4 spot. Also earning wins for the Deacs were Atkinson at No. 3 singles and Hopkins at No. 6 singles.
Deacons in the Rankings
Wake Forest came in at No. 39 in this week's ITA Team Rankings. New individual rankings were not released this week, so No. 70 Jonathan Wolff and No. 88 Tripper Carleton retain their spots on the singles charts.
Nearing the Century Mark
Wake's two matches this weekend provide senior Iain Atkinson with the opportunity to win his 100th match as a Demon Deacon. Atkinson currently sits at 97 combined singles and doubles wins, holding a 97-84 (.536) overall record.
Scouting the Tigers
Clemson enters this weekend's match ranked 58th in the country with a 13-4 (0-2 ACC) record. The Tigers last took the courts on Wednesday, topping in-state rival South Carolina 5-2. Clemson's lone ranked player is No. 106 Derek Difazio who has played mainly at the No. 2 singles position this season.
They Play the Matches on Paper, Right?
As the Deacs head to face the Tigers Friday, at least they know they have history on their side. Wake Forest has defeated Clemson in eight of the last nine matches between the two teams, including a 7-0 shutout in Winston-Salem last season.
And if the Deacs needed more historical ammo, consider this - Wake has started the 2011 ACC season 0-2 after opening the conference slate against two of the league's three highest-ranked teams in Duke and North Carolina. The Deacs have not dropped their first three ACC matches since 2000, incidentally the last time that they failed to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech enters the weekend ranked No. 21 with a 10-2 (1-1 ACC) record. The Yellow Jackets have not played a match in almost two weeks, with their last result being a tight 4-3 loss to Miami in Coral Gables.
Leading the Jackets at No. 1 singles is 14th-ranked Guillermo Gomez who has notched a 10-2 dual match record this season while playing primarily at the top singles position. Tech's other ranked singles player is No. 57 Juan Spir, who has been just as strong at the No. 2 slot. Spir and Kevin King form the 11th-ranked doubles tandem in the country, with the two going 8-2 at No. 1 doubles on the year.
What's Next...
Wake Forest will welcome the two Floridian ACC schools to town next weekend, hosting Miami on April 1 at 3:30 and Florida State at noon on April 3.
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