Gardner-Webb Men's Tennis Sign Two For Spring 2011 Season
July 14, 2010 | Men's Tennis
BOILING SPRINGS, NC - The Gardner-Webb athletics department, in conjunction with head men's tennis coach Mike Griffith are pleased to announce the signing of two student-athletes that will continue their academic and athletic careers at Gardner-Webb University.
Gardner-Webb had added Blake Vail and John Devose to the roster for the 2010-11 season.
Vail, from Goldsboro, N.C., comes to Gardner-Webb from Charles B. Aycock High School, where he compiled a 104-8 record in singles play, becoming the first ever four-time singles champion in Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference tournament history. He helped guide Charles B. Aycock to three straight dual-team conference titles, earning a ranking of #22 among all 18 year-olds in North Carolina.
Devose, originally from Germany, arrives at Gardner-Webb after attending Tyler Junior College, where he is currently ranked #28 in doubles and #48 in singles among all junior college tennis players in the country. He was part of the team that won the 2010 junior college national championship, and won the individual championship at the No. 3 doubles position and made the semifinals of the tournament at the No. 4 position in singles.
Head Coach Mike Griffith made this statement regarding the signees: " These two players will immediately help us. Blake is a player who is extremely athletic and strong. He has great volleys and he wants to dictate play. John is an awesome athlete who is coming from one of the most successful junior college programs of all-time. He knows what it takes to be the best and his leadership will be counted on immediately. John has a huge serve and is a player who constantly attacks. With the help of these two players and with the addition of two players who sat out last year (Andrew Carter and Julien Belair), our team has gone from being a predominantly a singles team to a team that will be a force in doubles and balanced in singles. Next year's team is looking to be one of the most athletic teams in my eight years at Gardner-Webb.
Gardner-Webb will open up the 2011 spring season on January 22, as they travel to Clemson.
