John Kauss and five other collegiate players are representing the United States in team competition against seven other countries.  Competition is taking place in Pottiers, France from December 4 to 7. Following is a description of the team's first round victory over Montenegro.  John reported that his opponent had professional ATP ranking points.  The blog entry below comes from the USTA web site.

Victory for the United States!
Today was an interesting day for the United States! As I mentioned in my last blog, we played Montenegro. The United States started off with a 2-0 lead because Montenegro was missing two girls from its team. John started things off for the U.S. and almost pulled off a tough three-set comeback, but he ended up losing, 6-4, in the third set. Nate was up next, and he battled to a two-set victory, while Jennifer lost a tough two-set match, 6-4, 6-3. The U.S. then moved on to doubles, where Nate and Mike teamed up to defeat the team from Montenegro. The last match of the day came to a close, when Mike and I paired up to win the mixed doubles. The United States won the match in solid form, with a 5-2 win.
The team decided it was in our best interest to take a trip to the super market today! Luic, our bus driver, was kind enough to make the trip with us, and it was interesting for us to practice our French! We discovered that the French do not supply classic grocery bags as they do in the U.S. We needed to purchase reusable bags or carry all of the baguettes, cheese, pretzels and other snacks we bought at the super market in our arms. Amanda was able to enjoy a special 22nd birthday treat of chocolate crem e brulè! She told me in confidence that it tasted unbelievable! While Amanda and Michelle were shopping at the grocery store, Nate decided to steal Amanda's furry jacket due to the freezing cold temperatures inside the tennis facility! Tomorrow I will post those silly pictures of Nate for everyone to enjoy! 
Tomorrow we take on the host country of France, a team that has won the event two years in a row! Everyone seems excited and ready to take on the challenge! We ate an amazing meal this evening of baguettes, pasta with fish, cauliflower and bananas with cream! The majority of the team decided to depart for bed early in order to rest up for the big match! Hopefully everything goes smoothly tomorrow, and the United States will once again be victorious!
"GO STATES!" (This is our new team cheer, coined by team captain Amanda Fink.)