ANNAPOLIS, Md. –– Members of the Navy tennis teams will travel to California this week for the playing of the inaugural San Diego Veterans Tennis Classic. The event runs Friday through Sunday at the University of San Diego.
The field consists of four players from the men's and women's teams at Navy, San Diego, UC San Diego and San Diego State. Play consists of singles and doubles matches daily at the Skip and Cindy Hogan Tennis Center.
"The players heading to San Diego are really excited to take part in the inaugural playing of this event," said Navy men's head coach
Chris Garner. "We are forever indebted to (tournament-founder) Chas Mulchay (who competed in the 1958 NCAA Tournament when it was played at Navy). His passion, vision and efforts on behalf of Navy and all of college tennis are inspiring. Getting a chance to compete, meet with alums and spend time in a Navy town will be an incredible experience for our players. We appreciate everyone's hard work and commitment to making this event possible."
"We are looking forward to participating in the inaugural San Diego Veterans Tennis Classic," said head coach
Keith Puryear. "A lot of people have worked so hard to make this happen. We have to thank the visionary for the event, Mr. Chas Mulcahy, along with Haley Adams-Mansberger and our assistant coaches,
Alessandra Pedergnana and
John Moreland.
"We would also like to recognize the members of the San Diego Veterans Tennis Classic committee, Ryan Keckley and the University of San Diego coaching staff and administration, in addition to our host, Mary Ann McCauley. While the competition is a part of the trip, it's just part of the purpose of this event. Also included is a clinic with the Wounded Warriors and a San Diego youth group. We will have an opportunity to interact with our alumni who reside or are serving in the San Diego area, in addition to meeting with the Naval Academy alumni chapter in the area. We see this event as an excellent opportunity to showcase the talents and character of those that attend the Naval Academy and who compete for our athletic programs."
Representing the Navy men's team are
Jack Dabek (Sr., Dublin, Ohio),
Finn Garner (Jr., Arnold, Md),
Gavin Segraves (Jr., Charlottesville, Va.) and
Derrick Thompson (Sr., Towson, Md.). Dabek is undefeated in three singles matches this fall, Garner ranks second on the team with six singles wins and has compiled three wins in as many doubles matches, Segraves has put together a combined singles and doubles record of 8-5 and Thompson has tallied a 4-1 record in doubles.
Katreina Corpuz (Sr., Ewa Beach, Hawaii),
Meghana Komarraju (Sr., Vienna, Va.),
Kacey Moore (Sr., Wellington, Fla.) and
Jillian Taggart (Jr., Fair Oaks, Calif.) are the Navy women's players slated to compete at the tournament. Taggart has totaled a 12-4 record this fall, the second-most wins on the team, including reaching the ITA Super Regional Championships in October for the first time in her career. Moore has recorded eight wins in both singles and doubles play along with winning each of her last four singles matches. Corpuz has six victories in singles and Komarraju has won three-straight singles contests to bring her fall record to 8-5.
The tournament was formed by the tennis teams from San Diego and Navy and has the mission statement of, "To celebrate San Diego's military heritage and support veteran's organizations and community partners through annual tennis competitions featuring elite athletes from the University of San Diego, the United States Naval Academy and other prominent universities."
Tournament Schedule
Friday, Nov. 5
11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT – Men's and Women's Doubles
** USD vs. Navy / SDSU vs. UCSD
** USD vs. SDSU / UCSD vs. Navy
3 p.m. ET / Noon PT – Women's Singles
** USD vs. UCSD / SDSU vs. Navy
5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT – Men's Singles
** USD vs. UCSD / SDSU vs. Navy
Saturday, Nov. 6
Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT – Men's Singles
** USD vs. Navy / SDSU vs. UCSD
5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT – Men's and Women's Doubles
** USD vs. UCSD / SDSU vs. Navy
6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT – Women's Singles
** USD vs. Navy / SDSU vs. UCSD
Sunday, Nov. 7
Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT – Men's and Women's Singles
** UCSD vs. Navy
3:45 p.m. ET / 12:45 p.m. PT – Men's and Women's Singles
** USD vs. SDSU
