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Austin Peay Governors Tennis opens Ohio Valley Conference play Friday against the Murray State Racers

APSU Sports: Austin Peay Men’s Tennis

Austin Peay State University GovernorsClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University men’s tennis team opens Ohio Valley Conference play at 2:00pm, Friday, when it hosts Murray State at the Austin Peay Tennis Courts. Should inclement weather come into the area, the match will be moved to the Governors Indoor Tennis Center.

Austin Peay Men's Tennis. (Courtesy: Brittney Sparn/APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men's Tennis. (Courtesy: Brittney Sparn/APSU Sports Information)

The Govs are coming off a Spring Break trip in which the results were not indicative of their actual performance. Against Troy, the Govs lost a trio of three-set matches, but got wins from Sean Bailey at No. 2 and Dimitar Ristovski at No. 3. When they faced No. 42 South Alabama, sophomore Jasmin Ademovic was retired in the third set, but Bailey won at No. 1 in a tiebreaker.

A tough non-conference schedule was designed by head coach Malik Tabet with the intent of preparing a young team for a challenging OVC slate. The Govs have fared well in the region, with wins against Belmont, Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois and Lipscomb. They also have been tested with road matches at Louisville, Georgia State and most recently South Alabama.

The result has been a consistent lineup, topped by Ademovic and Bailey. Ristovski, a freshman, is 4-4 at No. 3 singles, while the No. 4 spot has been manned by either freshman Iago Seffrin or Aleksas Tverijonas. Freshman Michal Hriciste and Tverijonas have split time at No. 5 and junior John Storie is 4-3 at No. 6.

Chemistry on the doubles side came about early between Bailey and Ristovski at No. 1, while Ademovic and Storie have won three of their last four at No. 2.

Murray State has won its last two matches after opening the season 0-4. A pair of wins against Western Kentucky and Bethel have provided the Racers with a bit of confidence as they get ready to play three matches in four days, beginning with the Govs. On Sunday, they return home to host SIU Edwardsville and then head to Lexington, KY, for a Monday match against Kentucky.

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