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HomeSportsAPSU Governors Tennis play Belmont to begin OVC Tournament, Friday

APSU Governors Tennis play Belmont to begin OVC Tournament, Friday

APSU Sports Information

APSU Men's Tennis - Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University men’s tennis team begins play in the Ohio Valley Conference Championships against sixth-seeded Belmont, 10:00am, Friday, at the Centennial SportsPlex.

The third-ranked Governors (7-10, 6-3 OVC) enter the postseason field for the eighth consecutive season, and fourth under the tutelage of Ross Brown.

Austin Peay Men's Tennis. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Men’s Tennis. (APSU Sports Information)

Brown’s teams have gone on to have great success in the men’s tournament, including one OVC title, five all-time wins and a runner-up finish last season.

The 2016 season has been a rollercoaster for APSU, opening the nonconference slate with a 0-5 record. The Govs got off to a slow start in OVC play as well, losing its first two matches, but caught fire when returning home to host SIU Edwardsville. Since then, the Governors are 7-3, with six of those victories coming against conference foes.

Austin Peay has filled a consistent lineup throughout the year, led by experienced juniors Aaron Jumonville and Manuel Montenegro. Jumonville has been the team’s No. 1 in all but one match, while Montenegro has a team-best eight wins on the year (seven OVC).

But breakout candidate Almantas Ozelis has been key to APSU’s success, recording seven wins at the No. 2 spot as a freshman. In doubles, he and teammate Aleh Drobysh have been excellent – 9-2, 8-0 OVC record.

Speaking of freshmen, the Govs will start two additional newcomers in the starting singles lineup behind Drobysh’s No. 4 slot. Alex Kartsonis and Chad Woodham each have 4-10 records, and are also doubles teammates where they have gone 3-7 overall.

The Govs defeated Belmont, 4-3, in Clarksville during the regular season. The Bruins are led by Cedric Dujaquier, the team’s No. 1 player with a 16-11 record. In addition, Robin Demasse, Zak Khan and Adam Rudowski have all eclipsed the 10-win total.

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