Friday, October 6
Macon, Ga.
All Day
Chattanooga
at
Mercer Invite
Sophomore Niklas Gerdes.
Photo by: Dale Rutemeyer
Mocs Open Fall Season at Mercer Gridiron Classic
10/5/2017 3:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Competition begins at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and the format includes four singles and two doubles brackets.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team kicks off their fall season at the Mercer Gridiron Classic this weekend. Action takes place at the Leroy Peddy Tennis Center in Macon, Ga., on Oct. 6-8.
Head coach Chuck Merzbacher is in his first season at UTC, and welcomes back five returners from last year's squad. Michael Birnbaum is the lone senior on the team that includes junior letterwinners Paul LaHue and Pablo Llebeili and sophomores Simon Bustamante and Niklas Gerdes.
The trio of newcomers includes freshmen Cooper Long, Jacob Marshall and Luke Plaisted.
"We had almost five weeks together to train and get ready, so it has been good" said Merzbacher when asked about fall practice. "These kids have worked very hard and they are ready to play someone different than their teammate.
"Not having a tournament in September is a good way for everyone to just figure out their games and really lay down a good base for being in shape. We got to know each other and now we are ready to play."
Teams competing on the men's side include Alabama State, Austin Peay, Bethune Cookman, Florida Southern, Georgia College, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Mercer, North Georgia, Troy, Radford and USC Upstate.
Competition begins at 8:30 a.m. (E.D.T.) on Friday and Saturday. The format includes four singles draws and two doubles brackets. The doubles finals are 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, followed by the singles finals at 11:00 a.m.
Gerdes and Bustamante represent UTC in the Buccaneers Singles Draw, while Llebeili is in the Jets Draw. Marshall and Plaisted are in the Panthers bracket, followed by Long, Birnbaum (3rd seed) and LaHue in the Raiders draw.
Gerdes and Bustamante team up in the Cowboys Doubles Draw, along with Marshall and Long. Llebeili/Plaisted and Birnbaum/LaHue are in the Dolphins doubles bracket.
"Fall is a great learning time and a chance to get into great shape," added Merzbacher. "You want to get as fit as you can, because in the spring, there are so many matches you are just trying to maintain a level of fitness and compete."
Be sure to check back to GoMocs.com for a full recap of each day's competition.
Head coach Chuck Merzbacher is in his first season at UTC, and welcomes back five returners from last year's squad. Michael Birnbaum is the lone senior on the team that includes junior letterwinners Paul LaHue and Pablo Llebeili and sophomores Simon Bustamante and Niklas Gerdes.
The trio of newcomers includes freshmen Cooper Long, Jacob Marshall and Luke Plaisted.
"We had almost five weeks together to train and get ready, so it has been good" said Merzbacher when asked about fall practice. "These kids have worked very hard and they are ready to play someone different than their teammate.
"Not having a tournament in September is a good way for everyone to just figure out their games and really lay down a good base for being in shape. We got to know each other and now we are ready to play."
Teams competing on the men's side include Alabama State, Austin Peay, Bethune Cookman, Florida Southern, Georgia College, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Mercer, North Georgia, Troy, Radford and USC Upstate.
Competition begins at 8:30 a.m. (E.D.T.) on Friday and Saturday. The format includes four singles draws and two doubles brackets. The doubles finals are 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, followed by the singles finals at 11:00 a.m.
Gerdes and Bustamante represent UTC in the Buccaneers Singles Draw, while Llebeili is in the Jets Draw. Marshall and Plaisted are in the Panthers bracket, followed by Long, Birnbaum (3rd seed) and LaHue in the Raiders draw.
Gerdes and Bustamante team up in the Cowboys Doubles Draw, along with Marshall and Long. Llebeili/Plaisted and Birnbaum/LaHue are in the Dolphins doubles bracket.
"Fall is a great learning time and a chance to get into great shape," added Merzbacher. "You want to get as fit as you can, because in the spring, there are so many matches you are just trying to maintain a level of fitness and compete."
Be sure to check back to GoMocs.com for a full recap of each day's competition.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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