Men's Tennis Kicks off Weekend Versus No. 9 Kentucky
March 18, 2010
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s tennis team takes a break from ACC play to host a pair of non-conference matches this weekend at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. The Hurricanes take on No. 9 Kentucky on Fri., March 19, at 3 p.m., and then face Princeton on Sat., March 20, at 3 p.m.
Admission is free to all regular-season matches.
The No. 45 Hurricanes (5-5), who were edged in a pair of league matches on the road last weekend, face the Wildcats for the third-straight season. Head Miami coach Mario Rincon played collegiate tennis for Kentucky under current coach Dennis Emery, who is in his 28th year at the helm of the program.
David Simon (14-6) leads the Hurricanes with a team-high 14 singles wins this season, including a 7-2 mark in dual match play and a 3-0 record versus ACC opponents. He has won four-straight matches entering the weekend, playing predominantly out of the No. 6 position.
Christian Blöcker also adds double-figure singles victories for Miami at 12-7 this season, including a 7-2 record at the No. 2 spot. The duo paired up earlier this week for a solid performance in the BMW Tennis Championship at the Sunrise Tennis Club, taking on some of the world’s top doubles players.
In doubles competition, UM duo Hector Nieto and Keith Crowley have ridden their unblemished 8-0 record at the No. 2 position into the latest ITA Poll, ranking No. 53 in the nation.
The ninth-ranked Wildcats have dropped a pair of SEC matches to top-10 teams entering this weekend, but remain strong at 11-6 overall. Kentucky boasts two ranked singles players in No. 10 Eric Quigley and No. 37 Alex Musialek, while their tandem of Brad Cox and Quigley are No. 15 in the NCAA.
Princeton continues a six-match swing through the Sunshine State, making a stop in Coral Gables on Saturday afternoon. The unranked Tigers have dropped three-straight this week, including two losses to ranked opponents in No. 61 UCF and No. 31 Denver.
Following this weekend, Miami returns to the road for ACC play to face top-ranked Virginia on Fri., March 26, and No. 22 Virginia Tech on Sun., March 28.
