JACKSON, Miss. - The Kennesaw State men's tennis team won a pair of matches over their 2011 season opening weekend as they defeated Xavier of Louisiana, 9-0, on Friday evening, and also topped Jackson State on Saturday afternoon by a score of 6-1.

Kennesaw State – 9, Xavier of Louisiana - 0

In Friday’s match, the Owls flat out dominated play throughout the match as only one player lost a set for head coach #T.J. Greggs# all evening.

"I thought we played very well in doubles today, and in the singles we did what we needed to do to win,” coach Greggs said. “Xavier is a good team, so for us to win so convincingly is a strong sign for our program and where we are heading. We knew we would have to play well today, and we definitely did that.  It feels good to start the season off with a solid win."

The win is even more impressive for Kennesaw State because Xavier as a team finished the 2010 season ranked No. 16 in NAIA.

Junior Simon Janik led the way for the Black and Gold as he picked up wins in the No. 1 spot in doubles and singles play. Janik’s singles match was the match of the evening as he pulled out a tough three-set win over Xavier’s Stefen Giles-Osborn 6-4, 4-6, 1-0.

Kennesaw State – 6, Jackson State – 1

 In Saturday’s action, the Black and Gold picked up right where they left off as they swept doubles play and won five of the six singles matches in route to their second straight win.

"I am proud of the way we played this entire weekend, and I know we can play even better,” coach Greggs said. “We're going to need to raise our game to another level as conference season approaches.  This was a convincing win over a program that has a lot of talent."

Janik completed his excellent opening weekend as he picked up two more wins to move to 4-0 playing at the No. 1 spot in singles and doubles.

Freshman Ryan Spencer made his collegiate debut in style picking up three wins on the weekend including a 6-1, 6-1 singles victory over Jackson State’s Nicholas Crawford at the No. 5 position.

The sophomore Turkish doubles team of Gokalp Ozdemir and Gianni Kubin also had a nice opening weekend as they recorded matching 8-6 wins at the No. 2 doubles spot.

The Owls will step back out onto the court on Sunday, February 6 as they will play their 2011 home opener against Georgia Southern. The match is scheduled to start at 12 p.m.

Kennesaw State – 9, Xavier of Louisiana – 0

Singles:
1. Simon Janik (KSU) def. Stefen Giles-Osborn (XU) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0(1)
2. Gianni Kubin (KSU) def. Zach Taylor (XU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Elliot Kahler (KSU) def. Hassan Abbas (XU) 6-1, 6-3
4. Gokalp Ozdemir (KSU) def. Amir Rahbar (XU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Ryan Spencer (KSU) def. Sean Richardson (XU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Michael Langel (KSU) def. Jonathan Aubrey (XU) 6-2, 6-3

Doubles:
1. Simon Janik/Elliot Kahler (KSU) def. Zach Taylor/Hassan Abbas (XU) 8-3
2. Gianni Kubin/Gokalp Ozdemir (KSU) def. Steffen Giles-Osborn/Sean Richardson (XU) 8-6
3. Ryan Spencer/Michael Langel (KSU) def. Amir Rahbar/Jonathan Aubrey (XU) 8-3

Kennesaw State – 6, Jackson State – 1

Singles:
1. Simon Janik (KSU) def. Baskaran (JSU) 6-4, 7-6(7)
2. Bhatia (JSU) def. Gianni Kubin (KSU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Elliot Kahler (KSU) def. DeJong (JSU) 6-1, 6-2
4. Gokalp Ozdemir (KSU) def. Luque (JSU) 6-4, 6-1
5. Ryan Spencer (KSU) def. Crawford (JSU) 6-1, 6-1
6. KSU won by default

Doubles:
1. Simon Janik/Elliot Kahler (KSU) def DeJong/Baskaran (JSU) 8-5
2. Gokalp Ozdemir/ Gianni Kubin (KSU) def Bhatia/Luque (JSU) 8-6
3. KSU won by default