April 22, 2004
MOBILE, Ala. - One of the most competitive league tournaments in league history is expected this weekend, as the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Tennis Championships takes place Friday through Saturday, April 23-24. The tournament, which features eight men's schools and 11 women's, will take place at both the Lubel Courts at the University of South Alabama, as well as the Mobile Tennis Center.
Denver is the seventh seed in the tournament and will face UL Lafayette at 9 a.m. MT on Friday, April 23. The men's side features seven teams that have been or are currently nationally ranked according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Tourney-host South Alabama is the No. 1 seed, as the Jaguars shoot for their sixth straight league title. USA is ranked No. 51 nationally but will face some stiff competition. No. 2 seed Louisiana-Lafayette is ranked No. 56 nationally, while No. 3 seed Middle Tennessee is ranked No. 61.
After falling to Colorado, the men enter the SBC Tournament with a 13-9 (0-3 SBC) record. Sophomore Nejc Smole (Ljubljana, Slovenia) leads the men's team with a 15-6 record at No. 1 singles. He is ranked No. 92 in the country. Smole and Viktor Zetterholm (Stockholm, Sweden) also claim a 6-6 record at No. 1 doubles. For his efforts, Smole was named the SBC Player of the Week on February 4, 2004.
On the women's side, top-seeded USA is vying for its 13th consecutive league crown. This could be the toughest run for the Jaguars in years, however, as the 48th-ranked Jaguars could be tested by 52nd-ranked Denver. Other nationally-ranked women's teams taking part are No. 3 seed Middle Tennessee (ranked 64th ) and No. 4 seed Florida International (65th ). No. 2 seed Denver will face the winner of the North Texas/ UL Lafayette game at 2 p.m. MT on Friday, April 23.
The Pioneers are ranked No. 52 in the country and boast a 17-1 (5-0 SBC) record this season. The team is led by junior Yanick Dullens (Susteren, Netherlands) who sports an impressive 16-2 record at No. 1 singles. Sophomore Suzana Maksovic (Helsingborg, Sweden) is 13-4 at No. 2 singles, while the combination of Dullens and Maskovic is 16-2 at No. 1 singles. Sophomore Jenny Trettin (Berlin, Germany), junior Barbara Kourim (Dallas, Texas) and freshman Rachel Sackmaster (Alpharetta, Ga.) all hold 16-1 records this season. The doubles team of Trettin and Kourim has also tallied a perfect 18-0 record at No. 2 doubles.
Men's SBC Bracket
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Women's SBC Bracket
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For tournament information, please visit Sun Belt Conference Sports.
