By: by Krissy Wade
After getting their Fall Season under way last weekend, the Owls have had very little time to rest, hitting the road again this weekend to compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in Athens Ga., on Sept. 18-21.
The Owls looked strong in their first tournament at the Georgia Southern Invitational on Sept. 11-13. The team received encouraging performances from their new freshman recruits, with Elliot Kahler and Gokalp Ozdemir earning their first singles victories as Owls on day one of the tournament, while Gianni Kubin recorded one of his own during day two of the competition.
In addition to the Owls success in singles, the doubles team of Ozdemir and Ryan Bouttell made it all the way to the flight ‘B’ finals before falling to their Georgia Southern opponents, 8-5.
With their first tournament in the rear view mirror, the Owls are even more confident heading into Thursday, where the level of competition will be even higher.
“We are going to be able to test ourselves against some of the best teams in the Southeast this weekend,” Director of Tennis Operations TJ Greggs said. “It will help our new players see just where we need to go in the future.”
This season will mark the 42nd year of existence of the Southern Intercollegiate Championships, making it the oldest fall college tennis tournament in America. Twenty eight teams will be participating in the event, including conference rivals, Lipscomb, Stetson, USC Upstate, and Mercer.
Additionally, the Owls will see competition from Alabama, Coastal Carolina, The Citadel, Davidson, Duke, Furman, Gardner Webb, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Samford, South Alabama, South Florida, Tennessee, Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Winthrop and Wofford.
Despite the formidable opponents and upcoming challenges the Owls will face over the next few days, Head Coach Brandon Padgett is confident his team will rise to the occasion.
"I am excited to see how we play at such a high level event,” Padgett said. "I hope our focus and intensity level continues to rise."
