ATLANTA – Head coach Brett Ross welcomes three additions to the 2014-15 Georgia State men's tennis team to compliment the seven returners from last season's squad. Two of the newcomers are transfers and the other a freshman.
“It's going to be a fun year. We have a lot of talent returning and we have three great players joining the program,” Ross said. “These additions show that we are attracting top American and international players.”
Sebastian Acuna - Freshman, Miami Beach, Fla.
Acuna was born in Redondo Beach, Fla., and calls Miami Beach home. The 5-11 right-hander played in several tournaments during his high school career and was rated as high as No. 37 nationally and No. 8 in the state of Florida in his graduating class by TennisRecruiting.net. One of his highlights was advancing to the Round of 16 at the USTA U18 Clay Court Championships, one of the top U18 national tournaments in the country.
“Sebastian is a great athlete,” Ross said. He has a lot of experience on a national level. He's eager to play and wants to participate in tournaments. He brings a lot of energy to practice and we like his competitiveness.”
Zack Kennedy – Sophomore, Atlanta, Ga.
A graduate of Westlake High School, Kennedy played one semester at Clemson before transferring to Georgia State. As a high school senior, Kennedy was ranked No. 31 nationally and No. 4 in the state of Georgia by TennisRecruiting.net. He won championships at the U16 Southern Closed and Southern Closed Doubles events while at Westlake.
“He's been looking really good so far and we think he'll make an immediate impact. He's a big guy at 6-6 and he's fast and has great hands. He has a lot of tools to be successful. The biggest thing for him is we want him to be aggressive and use his frame to put pressure on opponents,” Ross said.
Joseph Bishop – Junior, Marietta, Ga.
Bishop comes to Georgia State after playing two years for UT-Pan American. He finished the 2014 spring season 6-7 in singles and won four-straight doubles matches to end the season. One of his singles wins came against the No. 6 singles player for No. 64 Arkansas. The Broncos advanced to the semifinals in the 2014 WAC tournament in 2014. As a sophomore, Bishop Posted a 7-6 singles record.
At Sprayberry High School, Bishop was named the team MVP and took third place in the regional tournament. He qualified for the state tournament while losing just twice all season as a senior. He qualified for the state tournament three times in his four years, while also earning the Coach's Award in 2011 and the Most Outstanding Award in 2010. The United States Tennis Association ranked him as high No. 18 in the state of Georgia and No. 69 in the South.
“Joseph really has the attitude that we're looking for,” Ross said. “He's the epitome of a hard worker and the progress he's made since he was a senior in high school is a testament to that. He's jumped right in and is pushing the guys in conditioning and providing leadership already.”
NEXT UP
Georgia State opens its fall schedule on Friday, Sept. 26 at the Georgia Tech Invitational. The Panthers will go against host Georgia Tech as well players from Furman, Indiana, UNC Wilmington, Tulane, Georgia Southern, Miami, Georgia and Auburn.
