May 2, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky men’s tennis seniors Eric Quigley and Alex Musialek, along with junior Anthony Rossi and sophomore Panav Jha have qualified to compete in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships from May 23-28 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., the NCAA announced Wednesday.
Quigley earned the Southeastern Conference automatic bid into the singles event, while Musialek and Rossi earned two of 50 at-large bids to participate in the singles tournament that will begin after the team finals conclude on May 22. Quigley is seeded third in the event, while Musialek is seeded in the 9-16 group. Quigley and Jha will team up as doubles partners after earning the SEC automatic qualifying spot in doubles. The duo is seeded 5-8 in the doubles event.
Quigley and Musialek have now been selected for the singles championship three consecutive seasons, while Rossi will make his first appearance in the event. Quigley will be making his third consecutive appearance in the doubles championship and his first with Jha as his partner.
Kentucky joins Georgia (four), Mississippi State (three) and Ole Miss (three) as the only SEC schools with three or more players selected to the singles tournament. Six schools in the country achieved the distinction overall.
Quigley has had a sensational senior season for the Wildcats, posting a 47-6 record in singles action, including an 11-0 mark this spring against SEC foes and a 24-1 record in dual matches. The co-captain’s 47 singles wins this season breaks the school record for most singles wins in a season, while earlier this year he became the winningest singles player in school history with career win No. 145. The native of Pewee Valley, Ky., is currently ranked third in the nation in singles and has not fallen out of the top 10 in the nation in singles all season long. The senior has earned 18 wins over currently ranked foes this spring, including seven wins over players currently ranked in the top 15. For his efforts, Quigley was named the SEC Player of the Year last week by league coaches.
Musialek is having a great senior season also, holding a 28-10 overall record, including a 14-5 mark in dual matches and a 7-3 record in SEC matches. The senior has won seven of his last eight matches, including five against ranked foes. The co-captain’s biggest accomplishment this season was earning his 100th career singles victory, becoming only the 14th player in school history to claim that honor. Musialek is 106-47 in his singles career. The native of Dax, France, has been ranked in the top 25 in singles all season long, currently sitting at No. 15. Musialek was named a first-team All-SEC selection last week by league coaches.
Rossi has busted onto the scene as one of the best players in the SEC this season after winning the SEC Coaches’ Indoor Singles Championship earlier this year. The junior, who was named first-team All-SEC last week, is a strong 36-6 this season overall and 21-4 in dual matches. The star has been ranked in the ITA singles all season long, peaking at No. 13. Rossi is currently ranked 21st, which is his seventh consecutive top-30 ranking. The native of Marseille, France, has won six consecutive matches this season with wins over eight ranked players in dual matches. Rossi and Musialek are currently ranked 45th nationally in doubles.
Jha and Quigley have been ranked in the ITA doubles polls nearly all spring, sitting in the top 20 for five straight weeks. The duo is 17-12 on the year, including 5-3 in SEC play. Jha and Quigley have defeated nine ranked doubles teams this spring.
Prior to the singles and doubles tournaments, Kentucky will play host to first and second round action of the NCAA Team Championships May 11-12 at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. The Wildcats battle Radford in the first round on May 11 at 3 p.m. EST. The winner plays the Louisville-Indiana winner, May 12 at 2 p.m. EST in the second round. The final 16 teams will meet in Athens, Ga., to crown a champion, May 18-22 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, hosted by the University of Georgia.
For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow “University of Kentucky men’s tennis team” on Facebook or “UKMensTennis” on Twitter.
