Fresno State Athletics
Friday, February 22
Montgomery, Ala.
10:30 A.M. PT
Fresno State
vs
Alabama
'Dogs prep for 71st Annual Blue Gray Tennis Classic
2/21/2019 11:35:00 AM | Men's Tennis
FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State men's tennis team will travel to Montgomery, Ala. to compete in the 71st Annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic, Feb. 22-23. The Bulldogs are slated to face No. 16 Alabama in the first round on Friday at 10:30 a.m. PT
"It is a privilege to get an opportunity to play in this prestigious tournament," said head coach Luke Shields. "The Blue and Gray is it as one of the best collegiate tournaments, because of the great hospitality and atmosphere. On top of that, we have eight great teams competing. We are excited to compete against University of Alabama on Friday. We've had a solid couple days of practice and are ready to go."
The Bulldogs will compete in the renowned Blue Gray National Tennis Classic for the second consecutive season. The top tennis teams in the country have played in the Blue and Gray. One of the most unique features of the Blue Gray is the southern hospitality it offers. Tennis fans across Montgomery open up their homes and keep the players throughout the tournament.
How to follow – Fans can follow along with live scoring and draw updates at www.bluegraytennis.com.
The field – No. 16 Alabama, No. 38 Arizona, Auburn, Fresno State, No. 48 Ole Miss, Princeton, Rice, and No. 32 Texas Tech.
The draw – Alabama was selected as the No. 1 seed, No. 2 Texas Tech, No. 3 Arizona and No. 4 Ole Miss.
No. 2 Texas Tech will play Rice, No. 3 Arizona will see Auburn in the first round and No. 4 Ole Miss is slated to face Princeton.
Fresno State will face No. 1 Alabama in the first round of the tournament at 10:30 a.m. PT.
QUICK LOOK AT THE DOGS
Fresno State is 5-4 (1-0 MW) this season.
Tournament Notes:
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama is 8-1 this season.
Team Notes:
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"It is a privilege to get an opportunity to play in this prestigious tournament," said head coach Luke Shields. "The Blue and Gray is it as one of the best collegiate tournaments, because of the great hospitality and atmosphere. On top of that, we have eight great teams competing. We are excited to compete against University of Alabama on Friday. We've had a solid couple days of practice and are ready to go."
The Bulldogs will compete in the renowned Blue Gray National Tennis Classic for the second consecutive season. The top tennis teams in the country have played in the Blue and Gray. One of the most unique features of the Blue Gray is the southern hospitality it offers. Tennis fans across Montgomery open up their homes and keep the players throughout the tournament.
How to follow – Fans can follow along with live scoring and draw updates at www.bluegraytennis.com.
The field – No. 16 Alabama, No. 38 Arizona, Auburn, Fresno State, No. 48 Ole Miss, Princeton, Rice, and No. 32 Texas Tech.
The draw – Alabama was selected as the No. 1 seed, No. 2 Texas Tech, No. 3 Arizona and No. 4 Ole Miss.
No. 2 Texas Tech will play Rice, No. 3 Arizona will see Auburn in the first round and No. 4 Ole Miss is slated to face Princeton.
Fresno State will face No. 1 Alabama in the first round of the tournament at 10:30 a.m. PT.
QUICK LOOK AT THE DOGS
Fresno State is 5-4 (1-0 MW) this season.
Tournament Notes:
- Fresno State is 0-1 in neutral site matches this season.
- Last week, Fresno State had a 0-2 week with loses to East Tennesse State (4-3) and Arizona (6-1).
- Fresno State has won the doubles point four times in its last five matches. Â
- Zdenek Derkas was named the Mountain West Player of the Week on Jan. 22.
- Derkas is the only Bulldog to have wins over ranked opponents this season. He defeated No. 53 Adrian Otezback (Pepperdine) and No. 60 Lukas Moenter (LMU).
- At the 2018 Blue and Gray National Tennis Classic, the Bulldogs had a 1-2 weekend. Fresno State posted a win over Auburn, before falling to Arizona State and Arizona.
- This will be the second meeting between Fresno State and Alabama in program history. The Crimson Tide owns the all-time series 1-0, after the last meeting in 1998.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama is 8-1 this season.
Team Notes:
- Alabama moved up seven spots to No. 16 in the latest Oracle/ITA National Team Rankings.
- Alabama won its last two matches, defeating San Diego State 5-2 and Pepperdine 4-0.
- Alabama suffered its first loss of the season to unranked Minnesota 4-3, on Feb. 1.
- Alabama has two ranked players on its roster in No. 32 Mazen Osama and No. 108 Patrick Kaukovalta.
- Alabama finished the 2018 season with an overall 20-13 (2-10 SEC) record. Mazen Osama earned a bid to the 2018 NCAA Singles Tournament as the No. 10 seed, he made a run before falling in the quarterfinals to the No. 1 seed.
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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