Clemson Men’s Tennis To Play Host To Maryland On Saturday

March 12, 2004

Clemson, SC – The 41st-ranked Clemson Men’s Tennis team will look to bounce back from consecutive 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference losses when it plays host to Maryland on Saturday morning at the Hoke A. Sloan Tennis Center.

Clemson is currently 14-6 overall, 0-2 in the ACC. The Tigers six losses have come against teams ranked No. 47 or higher, and all have come on the road. Clemson is 6-0 at home and 5-0 at neutral sites. The Tigers, however, are only 3-6 in away matches.

The Tigers are led by sophomore Jarmaine Jenkins who is ranked No. 77 in the nation in singles action according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. Jenkins currently holds a 12-4 record in dual matches this season, and has won three matches in a row, and eight of his last ten. Senior John Boetsch has also contributed to the Tigers’ success. Boetsch is currently 15-3 on the season, winning 14 of his last 16 matches. Boetsch had an 11 match winning streak before falling to Georgia tech on Wednesday.

Maryland enters the match on Saturday with a 5-3 overall record, 0-2 in ACC play. The Terrapins hold 7-0 victories over four teams this season, including Georgetown, Villanova, George Mason, and Delaware. Maryland has conference losses to North Carolina State 6-1 and Florida State 7-0. Maryland is in action on Friday afternoon as it travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech. The Terrapins are led by junior transfer Ian Bliss at the number one singles position. Bliss is currently 6-2 on the season, with losses coming to Val Banada of North Carolina State and reigning ACC Player of the Year Matt Cloer of Florida State.

Clemson is under the leadership of head coach Chuck Kriese in his 29th season. Kriese holds a 579-362 record, and is ranked as the sixth winningest active coach in NCAA Division I. The two-time National Coach-of-the-Year has led the Tigers to 20 NCAA Tournament appearances.