SMC Tennis Sending Three To Nationals

SPARTANBURG, SC – Spartanburg Methodist College is sending two women to compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s national tennis tournament this weekend and will follow that up with a return trip to the men’s tournament the weekend after.

Sophomore Annastacia Laing (Bluffton HS / Bluffton, SC) and freshman Courtney Nutt (Byrnes HS / Moore, SC) will be representing SMC in the tournament being held May 2-7 at Randolph Tennis Center in Tuscon, AZ. Both women are unranked in NJCAA polls going into the tournament.

Laing posted an 9-2 singles record on the season, while Nutt brought in a 8-3 singles record. Both women were 6-4 in doubles on the season, to lead the SMC women’s team to a 5-6 spring season record. The team posted a 4-1 pre-season.

“The women's team has had one of its most successful seasons in several years.  Having Courtney at the No. 3 position and Annastacia at the No. 5 position at nationals puts them in a good spot to compete. They should have a good chance of advancing in the tournament and will be competing at the No. 2 doubles position,” says head coach Rodney McAlister.

On the men’s side, sophomore Christian Ranguelov, of Sofia, Bulgaria, will make a return appearance to the NJCAA Men’s National Tournament May 10-15 at Collier County Community College in Plano, TX.

Ranguelov, who played the No. 1 position for the men’s team throughout the season, is individually ranked No. 57 in the NJCAA, while the SMC men’s team is currently ranked No. 22.

He led the men’s team to a 3-6 spring season record, after it posted 4-2 pre-season. Individually, he posted a 6-3 record on the season in both individual and doubles matches.

“The men's team had a very hard season after losing three starters, which made it difficult to compete against other teams with more depth.  He is a very determined player who has a well rounded game and is very capable of competing with most players at this position on the junior college level.  I think he should make an excellent showing at nationals,” added McAlister.

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The College is in its 98th year of providing quality education to students in a Christian environment.  More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning. For more information contact Brian Fulkerson, director of public information, at (864) 230-3586