Date Posted: 4/18/2007

Macon, Ga. – The 2007 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Tennis Championships are closing in as the 16-team field, eight men’s and eight women’s, travel to Johnson City, Tenn., for the three-day event set to begin on Friday.

On the men’s side, ETSU posted a perfect 8-0 conference record this season, dropping just three points to A-Sun opponents. Last season, ETSU entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed but fell to the eventual champions, Belmont, is semifinals action. This season the Bucs return as the No. 1 seed and are looking to keep their conference winning streak alive.

A-SUN EXCELLENCE
Perfect Marks in Conference Play

ETSU’s Felix Insaurralde posted an 13-7 record during the 2007 season, including a perfect 7-0 mark in Atlantic Sun action. His 7-0 mark in conference play was part of a 45-3 A-Sun singles record for the Buccaneers, who enter the 2007 General Shale Brick Men’s Tennis Championship as the No. 1 seed for the second time in as many years.

Insaurralde was one of two tennis player on the men’s side with a minimum of six decisions to go undefeated during conference action. He was joined by teammate Alex Ahlgren who went 13-2 overall with a perfect 6-0 mark in A-Sun action.

Several others posted perfect records while competing in a limited number of matches.

Along with Insaurralde, ETSU received perfect singles records during A-Sun play from Alex Ahlgren (5-0), Lisandro Picardo (5-0), Daniel Isaza (4-0), Travis Sandlant (2-0), and Ricardo Rojas (1-0).

No other men’s team in the tournament had an undefeated player in conference play at any level.

The Buccaneers were also able to pair Sebastian Serrano and Enrique Olivares to go undefeated in doubles action during conference play. Overall the two combined for a 15-3 record, 8-0 in the Atlantic Sun. Combined, ETSU posted a 23-1 doubles record when facing conference opponents.

Last season ETSU entered the championship as the No. 1 seed and breezed through the quarterfinals, defeating the ninth-seeded Jacksonville Dolphins before falling to the eventual champions, Belmont.

PLAYING FAVORITES
ETSU Enters Championship on Top

The East Tennessee State University men enter the 2007 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Men’s Tennis Championship as the top seed for the second straight season. The Buccaneers posted a perfect record in A-Sun action.

ETSU allowed conference opponents to collect just three points throughout the season. Campbell earned a victory at the No. 1 singles spot for a point, while Stetson earned a No. 3 singles win and Lipscomb earned a No. 4 singles win. No A-Sun team was able to earn more than one point in any match as the Buccaneers defeated its Atlantic Sun foes by a margin of 50 points (53-3).

Returning on the men’s side to defend the title is Belmont. The Bruins entered the 2006 championship as the No. 4 seed and reached the championship game by knocking off the top-seeded Buccaneers in the semifinals before topping Stetson, 4-2, to earn its first Atlantic Sun Tennis Championship.

The Bruins have struggled this season and enter the tournament as the No. 6 seed, sporting a 3-5 record in conference play.

For the second straight season the Stetson Hatters entered the championship as the two seed. The Hatters rolled through the first two rounds of the championship without allowing their opponents a single point before they were taken down by Belmont.

This season the Hatters return Marcus Echtler, the 2006 Player of the Year, and have welcomed Hicham Laalej. Echtler has struggled throughout the season, posting a 6-8 overall record, including a 2-3 mark in conference action. Laalej, one of just two freshman on the Stetson roster, has twice been tabbed the A-Sun Player of the Week this season and entered the championship with a 21-3 record, including a 6-2 record against conference opponents. The freshman begins his first conference championship on a six-match winning streak and has a 9-1 record in his last 10 matches.

LAALEJ EARNS MOST INDIVIDUAL WINS

Stetson’s Hicham Laalej has collected the most singles wns this season. Laalej, a freshman from Meknes, Morocco, posted a conference-most 21 wins throughout the spring season on the men’s side.

Action begins on Friday when ETSU faces Lipscomb in the first of four quarterfinal matches. The tournament champion will be crowned on Saturday afternoon and take home not only the team trophy, but the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship as well.

Related Links:
 • Men's Championship Information