Tulane University
#45 Memphis
Men's Tennis Hosts Memphis in Conference Matchup
Mar 6, 2018 | Men's Tennis
LAST TIME OUT
Tulane (6-4) struggled to grab early momentum and dropped a 4-1 road mach at Vanderbilt in Nashville on Sunday. The Commodores won a tightly contested doubles point that saw two of the three matches go to tiebreakers, before claiming the first set on five of six singles courts. The Green Wave countered by winning four second sets, but Vanderbilt won in straight sets on court six, before claiming a pair of three-set victories on courts four and five, respectively. Senior Constantin Schmitz was able to outlast 50th-ranked Cameron Klinger in three sets for his eighth triumph over a ranked opponent this season.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
The Tigers (6-4) enter Wednesday's match ranked 45th in the ITA team poll, owning a 3-3 record in road matches this spring. Memphis snapped a two-match skid its last time out, topping SMU in a conference road match, 4-1, on Sunday. Ryan Peniston leads the Tigers with a No. 63 national singles ranking, possessing a 7-1 dual match record this spring which includes a 5-1 mark playing at the No. 1 spot in the lineup.
IN THE RANKINGS
In the latest Oracle/ITA team rankings, Tulane ranks No. 34 nationally, which is currently the highest of any American Athletic Conference program. The Green Wave's highest ranking this season was No. 20, matching their 2017 high, which is also the highest under head coach Mark Booras' leadership.
The Wave has two players listed in the singles poll and one doubles teams ranked. Senior and 2017 All-America choice Constantin Schmitz holds the Wave's highest singles ranking at No. 15, followed by sophomore Ewan Moore at No. 77.
Tyler Schick and Luis Erlenbusch, who own a 12-7 overall record and 4-4 mark at the No. 2 position in the doubles lineup this spring, rank 80th nationally as the Wave's only ranked tandem.
STEWART DUAL SINGLES STREAK ALIVE
Freshman Hamish Stewart has won six straight decisions in dual singles matches, the longest active streak on the team. He started the year 1-2, but now owns a 7-2 ledger, including six wins at the No. 3 spot in the lineup and one triumph at No. 4. Stewart holds a 10-4 overall record including fall matches.
CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Ewan Moore was chosen as the American Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week on Feb. 27, after posting a 2-0 mark at No. 2 singles and 1-0 at No.1 doubles for the Green Wave, including a straight set victory over the nation's No. 20 player, Giovanni Oradini of 39th-ranked Mississippi State, 6-4, 6-4, on Friday evening. He followed up that performance by outlasting Connor Curry, 7-6(4), 6-4, as part of a 7-0 Tulane rout of 21st-ranked Texas Tech just two days later.
Constantin Schmitz was named The American's first Player of the Week for the 2018 spring season on Jan. 23 after a 6-3, 6-2 singles victory over No. 78 Christian Langmo to clinch the match in the Green Wave's 6-1 season-opening victory over Miami (Fla.). The weekly nod was the sixth of Schmitz's career, as he received the honor five times last season in addition to the being named the league's player of the month in October of 2016.
ONE TOUGH SLATE
Tulane increased the intensity of its 2018 spring schedule and will face 10 teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season. In addition to American Athletic Conference foes USF, Memphis and SMU, the Green Wave will do battle with California, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Rice, TCU, Texas, and Stanford.
RAISING THE BAR
The Green Wave won 19 dual matches during the 2017 season, the most for the program in the post-Katrina era. The previous best was 16, set in 2016.
Players Mentioned
