May 21, 2003

ATHENS, Ga. - Andreas Laulund played some of his best tennis of the year but came up short Wednesday morning in the first round of the NCAA Championships. The event is being host by the University of Georgia at the Dan McGill Tennis Complex for the 23rd time in the last 27 years.

Laulund (Odense, Denmark), No. 83 in the latest ITA ranking, dropped a tight 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 match to 28th-ranked Matt Hanlin from the University of Washington. Hanlin entered the contest as a 9-16 seed. Laulund concludes his season with a 27-8 singles mark after leading the Hokies to a 18-7 record and third-place in the BIG EAST Conference tournament.

"Andreas played very well and demonstrated that he definitely belonged in the tournament," said Tech men's tennis head coach Jim Thompson. "His performance today against one of the top players in the nation will give him even more confidence as he enters his senior season next year."