Netmen Collect Two Victories On Successful Southern Swing

The tennis squad returned Saturday from a week-long successful southern swing with two wins under its belt and high hopes for a championship season.

The six-man first unit started the vacation tour with a 6-3 victory at the Country Club of Virginia. They continued on their way south through a tornado and driving rainstorm but the weather turned clear for matches with 16th-ranked Clemson and 8th-ranked Georgia.

At Clemson, the singles split with three wins and three losses, but the doubles dropped two as the Crimson lost a tight one 5-4. With Harris Masterson skipping the trip and possibly the season for personal reasons, the next three players--Ken Lindner, John Ingard, and Gary Reiner--rotated at the number one position.

"I was very pleased with our showing," coach Jack Barnaby said yesterday, "The Clemson match showed that we need work in our doubles pairings and that is one of the main reasons we go south." Tom Loring and Chip Baird provided the needed balance for the team, and Gordy Rowbotham joined the varsity at number six.

At Georgia, the tennis squad played twice, losing the first 9-0, but improving the next day, losing a closer match, 7-2. Captain Randy Barnett provided the sweetest victory as he beat Carry Browder, an excellent player who beat Masterson last year.

Georgia Tech defeated the netmen 8-1, with Gary Reiner taking the sole victory at the number one position. The squad also dropped a match, 8-1, to North Carolina, the number five ranked national team. Even though the Tarheels have two all-Americans, one went down to defeat against Ingard 6-3, and the Crimson showed good ability with a series of split set decisions.