Nov. 3, 2007

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ----- UAB's Thomas Petrich was the lone Blazer to advance here Friday at the Florida State University Seminole Tennis Invitational.

The tournament, which includes three men's divisions, features some of the top players in collegiate ranks nationally. There are four players in the singles field ranked in the top 77 of the preseason FILA rankings.

Petrich, a sophomore for the Blazers, is competing in the "C" division. He advanced to Saturday's quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-1 win over David Makhitashvilli of Florida A&M. Petrich will now go against Mercer's Justin Whimpee in Saturday's quarters.

UAB freshman Tyrone Ewels had a difficult first round draw in the "A" division as he was matched against Georgia's Nate Schnugg, ranked No. 58 in the country. Schnugg handled Ewels by a 6-0, 6-1 score.

In the "B" division, the Blazers' Alex Emery lost a 6-0, 6-2 match to Jonathan Wong of Columbia.