Blue tennis rookies just peachy at ITA

By Mike Bloom

Daily Sports Writer

Collegiate tennis players scuffed the hard courts that hosted the 1996 Olympic tournament, striving for individual glory in pre-qualifying for the ITA All-America Championships in Stone Mountain, Ga., this past weekend.

The setting was once a place where international athletes displayed their talents to the rest of world. This time, college athletes were storming the courts, searching for glory on the sacred stage.

Of the Wolverines' eight players in singles, nobody took more advantage of the spotlight than first-year players Greg Novak and Anthony Jackson.

Jackson, a true freshman from Glendale, Wisc., selected Michigan for its combination of academics and a promising tennis program.

"It's a great school in terms of academics," Jackson said. "The coach, Mark (Mees), is looking to return the program to the way it was back in the day, when we won the Big Ten Championships."

Jackson started out the tournament strong, conquering his first-round opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, last Friday. But, his second match was more of a battle, as he dropped the first set 6-1.

"I had to adjust my concentration level because I really wasn't that focused in that first set," Jackson said. "The coach talked to me and I played a lot better, I focused much better."

Jackson approached the next set with a renewed determination. He shook off his slow start and dealt his opponent a 6-3, 6-2 beating.

"The second and third set I just took it to 'em," Jackson said.

With the help of a default in the third round, Jackson advanced to the fourth round, the furthest of any Wolverine. He fought to the end but it wasn't enough, as Jackson fell in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.

Novak may be a junior, but he only has as much collegiate experience as Jackson. After spending two years at Central Florida, Novak saw his first glimpse of college tennis in the Notre Dame Invitational this September.

Unlike Jackson, Novak struggled in the first round at the ITA Championships, splitting the first two sets 6-4, 6-7. But, he was able to settle down and pull his game together for a third-set 6-2 pounding.

"After the first match I got my confidence together and that really helped," Novak said.

With one match under his belt, Novak continued to improve, stringing together two consecutive thrashings.

But, after playing three consecutive matches, the stress began to take its toll - Novak said that his muscles grew sore in the morning cold of the fourth round.

A cold front had swept through Atlanta on Saturday, and at nine in the morning on Sunday the temperatures fell to the mid 30s. The conditions proved fatal for Novak, as he too fell short in the fourth round in a 6-4, 7-5 struggle.

It may not have been the ending the two young stars had hoped for, but last weekend, they proved that they were both up to the challenge of the collegiate arena.