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What A Night – #55 Notre Dame Stuns #1 UNC, TCU & Kentucky Win 4-3 Thrillers, Georgia Rallies Past Florida, & More

by | Apr 9, 2016 | Blog | 3 comments

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Just when you think you’ve seen it all you get a day like today with one thrilling finish after another. Before I can even talk about all the 4-3 matches I got to give a shoutout to No. 55 Notre Dame who absolutely stunned top-ranked North Carolina in one of the biggest upsets, in terms of ranking, in college tennis history.

The Fighting Irish entered the night with a 12-12 record, and that was after beating Chicago State twice last Sunday, so most people probably figured at best they’d win a set or maybe a court but surely not the match. It was the final home match of the season for Notre Dame which meant it was the swan song for the five seniors on the roster. Four of the seniors (Monaghan, Lawson, Sabacinski, Montoya) would start and they would each play a role in the upset victory.

Notre Dame grabbed the early momentum by going up breaks at No. 2 (4-0) and No. 3 doubles (3-0) while No. 1 stayed on serve. UNC’s Robert Kelly and Brett Clark were the first off the court with a 6-4 victory at No. 1 but UND’s Grayson Broadus and Nicolas Montoya would counter with a 6-4 win of their own at No. 3. UNC’s Jack Murray and Brayden Schnur came back from 0-4 down to get within 4-5 but UND’s Eddy Covalschi and Josh Hagar would hold on the deciding point to win it 6-4.

The outcome of the doubles point was just as surprising as anything else because the Irish had lost the point seven times in their last eight matches (didn’t count Chicago State because they split 1 and 2 and won 3 by forfeit) while the Tar Heels had won the point in 12 of their last 13 matches.

North Carolina’s Jack Murray, who normally plays at No. 4, was a late scratch from the singles lineup so Robert Kelly and Anu Kodali were bumped up a spot and Blaine Boyden came off the bench to play at No. 6.

Notre Dame jumped on North Carolina in singles and took opening sets at 1, 3, 4, and 5. Notre Dame senior Quentin Monaghan was the first to finish with an 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Brayden Schnur at No. 1. Monaghan broke Schnur go up 5-3 in the third and then held serve to close it out.

Notre Dame freshman Grayson Broadus extended the lead to 3-0 with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over North Carolina freshman Blaine Boyden at No. 6 but then North Carolina junior Ronnie Schneider would put the Tar Heels on the board with a tight 7-6(6), 7-6(5) win over Josh Hagar at No. 2.

North Carolina had just got a split at No. 3 and both No. 4 and No. 5 were heading to third set tiebreaks so the match was still very much up in the air.

Notre Dame senior Alex Lawson would put an end to the suspense with an upset clinching 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(6) win over Robert Kelly at No. 4.

The remaining matches were played out with Notre Dame senior Kenneth Sabacinski outlasting North Carolina freshman Anu Kodali 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(10) at No. 5 and North Carolina senior Brett Clark knocking off Eddy Covalschi 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-2 at No. 3.

The last time Notre Dame had defeated a No. 1 team was all the way back on May 18, 1992, then they beat USC. As of this minute I expect UNC to come up from No. 55 to around No. 43 but it all depends on how everyone else does too.

ND Celebration (Photo by Marcus Snowden/ND)

#55 Notre Dame 5, #1 North Carolina 2
Eck Tennis Center, Notre Dame, Ind.
Doubles competition
1. #1 Robert Kelly/Brett Clark (UNC) d. #12 Quentin Monaghan/Alex Lawson (ND), 6-4
2. #79 Eddy Covalschi/Josh Hagar (ND) d. #17 Jack Murray/Brayden Schnur (UNC), 6-4
3. Grayson Broadus/Nicolas Montoya (ND) d. Ronnie Schneider/Anu Kodali (UNC), 6-4
Singles competition
1. #31 Quentin Monaghan (ND 13.83) d. #29 Brayden Schnur (UNC 14.07), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
2. #27 Ronnie Schneider (UNC 13.99). d. Josh Hagar (ND 13.58), 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5)
3. #50 Brett Clark (UNC 14.05) d. Eddy Covalschi (ND 13.20), 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-2
4. Alex Lawson (ND 13.32) d. #82 Robert Kelly (UNC 14.01), 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6)
5. Kenneth Sabacinski (ND 12.88) d. Anu Kodali (UNC 13.29), 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (10)
6. Grayson Broadus (ND 12.97) d. Blaine Boyden (UNC 13.35), 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Match Notes
North Carolina 21-3 (6-3 ACC); National ranking #1
Notre Dame 13-12 (5-6 ACC); National ranking #55
Order of finish:  Singles (1,6,2,4,5,3); Doubles (1,3,2)
T-3:21 A-255

Post-Match Quotes from UND’s recap
“This is as special as it is because [North Carolina is] so good, the Callaghan Family Men’s Head Tennis Coach Ryan Sachire said. “They have done so well this year and we couldn’t have more respect for their program and their team, coaches and players. That’s what set the table for something magical for our guys tonight.
“Brayden’s a good player and has a lot of firepower, and he just kind of got off to a slow start, so I knew if I competed well early in the set and gave myself a chance, I was going to be able to pull it out, Monaghan said.
“I had a sense that we were up in the match because I heard some screaming from the other side and a lot of cheering and saw [Broadus] get the job done, so I thought we might have been at three [points], Lawson said. “It’s tough to keep your focus on each point and I think I did a really good job of that. I got down early [at 2-4] and got it back and got a match point at 6-5 and stayed calm after I didn’t get that one and got the job done right after that.
“This is the best Notre Dame memory I’ve had, Sabacinski said. “I was just trying to do what [Sachire] was telling me to the best of my ability not thinking too much about winning or losing, but thinking about what I’m trying to do every point and trusting the process.
“As a team this was probably the biggest win [of our careers], said Monaghan of the senior class. “Obviously in the moment it feels like there’s nothing better. To beat the No. 1 team in the country is pretty special and on our senior night we probably couldn’t ask for a better ending.

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A season-high crowd of 1681 was on hand in Athens, Georgia, Friday evening and for most of the match it wasn’t looking too good for the home team.

Florida got off to a nice start in doubles when Maxx Lipman and Elliott Orkin defeated Paul Oosterbaan and Jan Zielinski 6-3 at No. 2 doubles. Lipman and Orkin broke for 5-3, when Georgia double faulted on the deciding point, and then Orkin served it out at love. Georgia’s Emil Reinberg and Wayne Montgomery won a tiebreak at No. 3 doubles by a 7-6(4) score over Alfredo Perez and Chase Perez-Blanco so the point would be decided at No. 1. Georgia’s Austin Smith and Ben Wagland went up 5-4, after Gordon Watson double faulted on the deciding point, but Watson and Diego Hidalgo would break Smith’s serve from 15-40 to even it at 5-5. Hidalgo held at love for 6-5 and then Wagland went up 40-30 on his serve. Florida got it to the deciding point when Watson hit a volley winner at the net and then the Gators would get a look at a second serve on the deciding point. Wagland came in and Hidalgo ripped a return right at his feet and all Wagland could do was pop it up and Watson swatted it away for a winner to clinch it.

Florida made an interesting substitution to its singles lineup by starting Josh Wardell at No. 6 despite the fact that he hadn’t played since January 17. McClain Kessler had started the previous nine matches at No. 6, going 6-3, but he must have pulled something in the match against Virginia on Wednesday.

Florida would jump out to early break leads at 1, 2, 4, and 5 and would take the opening set on each of those courts while Georgia got sets at 3 and 6.

Georgia senior Nick Wood would run his winning streak to eight with a quick 6-2, 6-2 win over Josh Wardell at No. 6. Georgia redshirt sophomore Paul Oosterbaan would put the Bulldogs ahead 2-1 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Elliott Orkin at No. 3 in a match that Oosterbaan led just about the entire way.

Florida senior Diego Hidalgo would tie it up at 2-2 with a win over Austin Smith at No. 1. Hidalgo served for the first set up 5-2 but Smith broke and held for 5-4. Hidalgo finally served it out on his second attempt to take the opening set 6-4. Hidalgo broke Smith to start the second set but Smith would break back to even it at 2-2. Hidalgo returned the favor and broke on the next game and then a few games later he’d hold on the deciding point to win it 6-4, 6-4.

Florida appeared to be closing in on a huge win because Alfredo Perez was serving for the match at No. 2, Chase Perez-Blanco was serving for the match at No. 5, and Gordon Watson was serving up 3-1 in the third at No. 4.

Alfredo Perez took the opening set over Wayne Montgomery at No. 2 by a 6-2 score and then he broke Montgomery to go up 4-2 in the second. Montgomery would break back and hold for 4-4 before Perez held for 5-4. Montgomery would fight off a match point, on the deciding point, to hold for 5-5 and then he’d quickly break to go up 6-5. Montgomery would serve out the second set to take it 7-5.

Chase Perez-Blanco and Jan Zielinski played a streaky first set at No. 5. Perez-Blanco won the first three games, Zielinski took the next three, and then Perez-Blanco took the last three to take the set 6-3. Perez-Blanco broke Zielinski to start the second set but Zielinski broke back and held. Perez-Blanco would break for 4-3 and hold for 5-3 but Zielinski wouldn’t go away. The Georgia freshman fought off two match points to hold for 4-5 and then he broke Perez-Blanco on the deciding point to tie it at 5-5. Zielinski would hold for 6-5 and then break to take the set 7-5.

On the next court over, Florida senior Gordon Watson led Georgia freshman Walker Duncan 3-1 in the third but Duncan would take the next four to go up 5-3. Watson held for 4-5 but Duncan served it out to take it 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Jan Zielinski would sprint out to a 3-0 lead in the third set at No. 5 but Chase Perez-Blanco would take the next three to tie it at 3-3. After three straight holds, Zielinski would break Perez-Blanco to seal the Georgia win.

Wayne Montgomery would finish off the night by closing out Alfredo Perez 6-3 in the third at No. 2 to make the final score 5-2.

John Frierson also had a great recap of this match with some more quotes – give it a read.


#7 Georgia 5, #14 Florida 2
April 8, 2016 at Athens, Ga. (Dan Magill Tennis Complex) 
Singles competition
1. #17 Diego Hidalgo (FLA) def. #22 Austin Smith (UGA) 6-4, 6-4
2. #34 Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. #109 Alfredo Perez (FLA) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3
3. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. #33 Elliott Orkin (FLA) 6-4, 6-4
4. #111 Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Gordon Watson (FLA) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
5. Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. #84 Chase Perez-Blanco (FLA) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
6. Nick Wood (UGA) def. Joshua Wardell (FLA) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #3 Diego Hidalgo/Gordon Watson (FLA) def. #4 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) 7-5
2. #58 Maxx Lipman/Elliott Orkin (FLA) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (UGA) 6-3
3. Emil Reinberg/Wayne Montgomery (UGA) def. Alfredo Perez/Chase Perez-Blanco (FLA) 7-6 (4)
Match Notes
Florida 12-5, 7-2; National ranking #14
Georgia 15-3, 9-0; National ranking #7
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,3,1,4,5,2)
Official: Clark Weaver T-3:11 A-1681
Post-Match Quotes from Georgia’s recap
“I’m so proud of our team, head coach Manuel Diaz said. “For our guys to go out, regroup and fight the way that they did says a lot about them. I couldn’t be prouder. We certainly earned this one. Florida has a really great team, and for us to overcome them playing so well makes me exceptionally proud of our guys.”

Post-Match Quotes from head coach Bryan Shelton via Florida’s recap
On the match tonight… 
“It was a tough match. We came out and played as well as we possibly could in the doubles. I felt like our team came out ready to play. I felt like our team was ready to play and they really executed down the stretch in the doubles. Gordon and Diego to clinch the point, being down a break and ultimately winning that set was huge for us.
Once again, we did a great job responding early in the singles. I think for our group right now, there is just a little bit of doubt when we get in the position to close out matches and close out sets. In a couple of these matches, we are just stalling out a little bit and not playing as aggressively to close out the matches. Certainly we had opportunities at number two tonight at match point. We had match point at number five.
We just have to see it, believe it and go make it happen in those moments and play aggressively. I just don’t think we quite did that tonight. I give Georgia a lot of credit. They came back and just continued to compete and use the crowd to their advantage. They energized themselves. Once they got rolling, they were tough. They gained a lot of momentum. That is what home court advantage does for you. I give them a lot of credit. They played well tonight. We will just have to come back and get after South Carolina on Sunday.”
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TCU and Oklahoma played a 4-3 thriller in last year’s NCAA semifinals and the two teams gave the 1287 on hand in Fort Worth another great one tonight.

TCU stormed out to a 1-0 lead after taking it to OU at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in doubles. Trevor Johnson and Guillermo Nunez won 6-1 at No. 2 and Reese Stalder and Hudson Blake won 6-0 at No. 1. The match at No. 3 was abandoned with OU leading 5-0.

Oklahoma welcomed Andrew Harris back to the singles lineup for the first time since last May and his addition meant that everyone except Axel Alvarez got to slide down a spot.

Each team took three opening sets in singles and five of the six matches would end up finishing in straight sets.

Alex Ghilea quickly tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Eduardo Nava at No. 4 and Florin Bragusi wasn’t too far behind as he rolled over Jerry Lopez 6-2, 6-3 at No. 5.

Axel Alvarez would make it 3-1 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie at No. 1 but TCU still had set leads on each of the remaining courts.

TCU’s Trevor Johnson made it 3-2 with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Andre Biro at No. 6 and Alex Rybakov tied the match at 3-3 by defeating Andrew Harris 7-6, 6-4 at No. 2.

Oklahoma’s Spencer Papa would force a third set at No. 3 by breaking Guillermo Nunez’s 5-5 service game and then serving it out for a 7-5 second set. Papa would break Nunez to go up 3-2 in the third but Nunez would break back and hold for 4-3. Papa then held for 4-4 and broke to go up 5-4 but he’d be unable to serve it out as Nunez broke back for 5-5. Each would hold one more time to get the match to a tiebreak and then it was all Nunez as he raced out to a 4-1 lead and took it 7-3.

TCU’s win snapped a nine-match losing streak to OU and gave the Horned Frogs its first win over the Sooners since 2008.

#2 TCU 4, #9 Oklahoma 3
Apr 08, 2016 at Fort Worth, Texas (Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #36 Axel Alvarez Llamas (OU) def. #3 Cameron Norrie (TCU) 6-2, 6-4
2. #16 Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. Andrew Harris (OU) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
3. #61 Guillermo Nuez (TCU) def. #59 Spencer Papa (OU) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3)
4. #51 Alex Ghilea (OU) def. Eduardo Nava (TCU) 6-1, 6-0
5. Florin Bragusi (OU) def. Jerry Lopez (TCU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Trevor Johnson (TCU) def. Andre Biro (OU) 6-3, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #82 Reese Stalder/Hudson Blake (TCU) def. #40 Axel Alvarez Llamas/Andrew Harris (OU) 6-0
2. Trevor Johnson/Guillermo Nuez (TCU) def. #85 Spencer Papa/Alex Ghilea (OU) 6-1
3. Cameron Norrie/Alex Rybakov (TCU) vs. Maxime Mora/Andre Biro (OU) 0-5, unfinished
Match Notes:
Oklahoma 11-8, 0-1; National ranking #9
TCU 19-2, 1-0; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (4,5,1,6,2,3)
T-3:05 A-1287

Post-Match Quotes from head coach David Roditi via TCU’s recap
Opening Statement
“What an unbelievable college match. This match had a lot of hype for many reasons. Oklahoma has a hell of a team with Andrew Harris back in the lineup and they have one of the best teams in the nation. We are ranked No. 2 right now and have one of the best teams in the nation, so very seldom does a match that has so much hype and so many expectations exceed those expectations. For this match to come down to the wire and have Oklahoma serve for the match and have Guillermo (Nuez) come back and pull out a huge win is hard to describe with words.
“I am glad there was no drama. Our crowd and our fans were great. It was just a good, clean college match. I was so impressed with the way Oklahoma came out at us at No. 1 singles. Axel Alvarez Llamas played an unbelievable match and for Harris to be playing at that level, (Alex) Rybakov had to really dig in to get a great win, which is pretty impressive. Oklahoma is only getting better and stronger as the year goes on. Their team is going to be really tough to deal with come postseason.”
On the doubles matches
“Our doubles was the most impressive doubles I have ever been a part of. The level of play that Hudson Blake and Reese Stalder showed at No. 1 doubles, they could have beaten the Bryan brothers today. They played flawless, had unbelievable energy, executed exactly what they wanted to do out there, knew what they were going to expect and they executed perfectly. It was such a pleasure to watch those guys come so far and beat two of the best players in the nation, 6-0. It is something that they can be very proud of and speaks so much about their journey to this point. With Guillermo and Trevor (Johnson), we always felt that it could be a very good team and they showed it today beating two very good players as well. That was a great doubles point.”

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Kentucky had a near-miss on Wednesday against Ohio State but on Friday evening the Wildcats were able to seal the deal against a top 10 opponent with a 4-3 thriller over No. 10 Texas A&M.

Texas A&M took the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 and then the teams split first sets on the four indoor courts.

Texas A&M sophomore Arthur Rinderknech extended the Aggies lead to 2-0 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over William Bushamuka at No. 1 but Kentucky freshman Ryotaro Matsumura countered with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Shane Vinsant at No. 2.

Kentucky junior Nils Ellefsen tied the match at 2-2 with a 7-5, 7-6(2) win over Jordi Arconada at No. 3 but Texas A&M sophomore AJ Catanzariti put the Aggies back on top with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win over Enzo Wallart at No. 4.

The final two courts to go on would both go the distance and Kentucky would take them both. Sophomore Trey Yates came back from a set down to record a Universal Tennis Rating upset over Jackson Withrow 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 5. Kentucky freshman Austin Hussey would finish off the Aggies with a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2) win over Max Lunkin at No. 6.

After the match there was more talk about an inordinate amount of overrules against the visiting team which has become a common theme lately in Lexington. There’s always two sides to every story but when you hear the same thing time and time again there must be something to it. I’ve heard it from opposing teams that have both won and lost in Lexington so you can’t say its just sour grapes. I don’t know what the procedure is to have an officiating crew evaluated but it sounds like something needs to be done. It’s one thing if a school has a home court advantage due to large crowds but its another if they are overruling opposing players at two or three times the rate of the host. I don’t know the actual statistics on the number of overrules for each team in Lexington but from what I keep hearing it doesn’t like it’s equal. We need to have fair environments at all venues so hopefully this isn’t something that continues in the future.

#20 Kentucky 4, #10 Texas A&M 3
04/08/16 at Lexington, Kentucky (Boone Tennis Center – Indoors) 
Singles competition
1. #21 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU 14.35) def. #25 William Bushamuka (UK 14.07) 6-4, 6-4
2. #52 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK 14.35) def. #44 Shane Vinsant (TAMU 14.02) 6-3, 6-4
3. Nils Ellefsen (UK 13.82) def. #125 Jordi Arconada (TAMU 13.81) 7-5, 7-6 (7-2)
4. AJ Catanzariti (TAMU 13.52) def. Enzo Wallart (UK 13.11) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
5. Trey Yates (UK 13.02) def. Jackson Withrow (TAMU 14.11) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Austin Hussey (UK 12.88) def. Max Lunkin (TAMU 13.48) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-2)
Doubles competition
1. Nils Ellefsen/Enzo Wallart (UK) vs. Aleksandre Bakshi/Jackson Withrow (TAMU) 5-6, unfinished
2. #78 Shane Vinsant/Harrison Adams (TAMU) def. William Bushamuka/Trey Yates (UK) 6-4
3. Max Lunkin/Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) def. Ryotaro Matsumura/Austin Hussey (UK) 6-4
Match Notes:
Texas A&M 22-8; National ranking #10
Kentucky 17-6; National ranking #20
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3); Singles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Post-Match Quotes from Kentucky’s recap

“It was a big win tonight, head coach Cedric Kauffmann said. “To win the match against a top-10 team again with this young team is special. We have a lot of respect for Texas A&M’s players and coaches. They do a great job.

“The night goes to Trey Yates and Austin Hussey our Kentucky boy, Kauffmann added. “To be down 3-2 in overall score, down a set at five, and to win a breaker for the match was a gutsy effort by those two players. I am so happy for them. They showed a lot of poise and toughness out there.

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Texas Tech faced its first top 50 team at home on Friday afternoon and after a battle on several courts it pulled out a 5-2 win over No. 18 Tulsa.

Brett Masi split up his top doubles team of Felipe Soares and Hugo Dojas, last year’s NCAA runner-ups, and the change paid off as Tech won at No. 2 and No. 3 with Dojas and Carlos DiLaura clinching at No. 3.

Texas Tech took five first sets in singles with each of the top three courts going to tiebreaks. Tech freshman Bjorn Thomson rolled over Daniel Santos 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6 and sophomore Alex Sendegeya put Tech up 3-0 with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Carlos Bautista at No. 3.

Tulsa freshman Majed Kilani put the Golden Hurricane on the board with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Jolan Cailleau at No. 4 but Texas Tech sophomore Connor Curry would clinch the match with a 6-2, 7-6(9) win over Francois Kellerman at No. 5.

The two remaining matches were played out with TT’s Felipe Soares winning a 10-point supertiebreak at No. 1 while Tulsa’s Juan Matias-Gonzalez won at No. 2 after they played a 10-point supertiebreak at 1-1 in the 3rd.


#11 Texas Tech 5, #18 Tulsa 2
04/08/16 at Lubbock, Texas (McLeod Tennis Center) 
Singles competition
1. #20 Felipe Soares (TT) def. #46 Or Ram-Harel (TULSA) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 1-0 (10-7)
2. Juan Matias-Gonzalez (TULSA) def. #98 Hugo Dojas (TT) 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 2-1 (10-7)
3. #117 Alex Sendegeya (TT) def. Carlos Bautista (TULSA) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
4. Majed Kilani (TULSA) def. Jolan Cailleau (TT) 7-5, 7-5
5. Connor Curry (TT) def. Francois Kellerman (TULSA) 6-2, 7-6 (11-9)
6. Bjorn Thomson (TT) def. Daniel Santos (TULSA) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #77 Matthew Kirby/Okkie Kellerman (TULSA) def. Alex Sendegeya/Bjorn Thomson (TT) 6-3
2. Connor Curry/Felipe Soares (TT) def. Dominic Bechard/Dylan McCloskey (TULSA) 6-1
3. Carlos DiLaura/Hugo Dojas (TT) def. Carlos Bautista/Majed Kilani (TULSA) 7-5
Match Notes
Tulsa 14-10; National ranking #18
Texas Tech 23-3; National ranking #11
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,3,4,5,2,1)

T-3:00 A-285

Post-Match Quotes from TT’s recap

“I’m really happy we won, Texas Tech head coach Brett Masi said. “We tried some new doubles pairings today and they paid off for us. In singles we won three first-set tiebreakers, which was huge. I think overall we’re in a good place heading into our last four Big 12 matches.
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Texas rebounded from a tough 4-3 loss at Baylor by knocking off No. 12 Oklahoma State 4-0 in a match that was played about 20 miles from campus at the Polo Tennis Club in Dripping Springs. The Longhorns took the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 and then they took four opening sets in singles. 
Texas senior Michael Riechmann was the first off the court with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Lukas Finzelberg at No. 5 and junior George Goldhoff put UT a point away from the clinch with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Julian Cash at No. 1.
Texas freshman Rodrigo Banzer would clinch the match with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Tristan Meraut at No. 4. 
The remaining matches were abandoned with No. 2 about to split sets while Oklahoma State was close to get wins at No. 3 and No. 6.
It sure will be nice when Texas opens up its new facility next year so they don’t have to keep playing these matches at different places all across the Greater Austin area. 
#17 Texas 4, #12 Oklahoma State 0
04/08/16 at Dripping Springs, Texas (Polo Tennis Club) 
Doubles competition
1. No. 68 Adrian Ortiz/Michael Riechmann (UT) def. Lucas Gerch/Jurence Mendoza (OSU), 6-3
2. No. 86 George Goldhoff/Julian Zlobinsky (UT) def. Arjun Kadhe/Tristan Meraut (OSU), 6-3
3. John Mee/Harrison Scott (UT) vs. Lukas Finzelberg/Julian Cash (OSU), 4-4, susp.
Singles competition
1. No. 87 George Goldhoff (UT) def. No. 45 Julian Cash (OSU), 7-6 (0), 6-3
2. Harrison Scott (UT) vs. No. 121 Arjun Kadhe (OSU), 7-5, 2-5, susp.
3. Lucas Gerch (OSU) vs. Adrian Ortiz (UT) 7-5, 5-2, susp.
4. Rodrigo Banzer (UT) def. Tristan Meraut (OSU), 7-5, 6-2
5. Michael Riechmann (UT) def. Lukas Finzelberg (OSU), 7-5, 6-1
6. Jurence Mendoza (OSU) vs. John Mee (UT) 6-3, 5-5, susp
Match Notes
Texas 16-7 (1-1 Big 12); National ranking #17
Oklahoma State 16-4 (0-1 Big 12); National ranking #12
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (5,1,4)
Post Match Quotes from head coach Michael Center via Texas’s recap
On tonight’s match: I thought we really executed well in the doubles today, which we haven’t done in the last few matches. I thought that was a big momentum builder for us to finish off the doubles, so I was really pleased with that. I knew the singles would be a challenge and there were a lot of first sets that could have gone either way. I think we got four of them, saved some set points on some courts, and when we really got the momentum, I thought we did a great job of pushing down the pedal to the metal and really finished them off. They have a really great team, obviously; they have been ranked in the top five for most of the year. It was a great team win. I thought the guys who weren’t playing were cheering really hard and we competed very well. We took our opportunities tonight when we got momentum and we took advantage of it.
On the tight first sets in the singles: George [Goldhoff] was in a tiebreaker and Michael Riechmann and [Rodrigo] Banzer were all in really tight first sets where we saved set points. Even Harrison Scott was down in the first set. Those first four sets could have gone their way, so those four guys putting those first four sets on the board really put a lot of pressure on them. We could have lost all six first sets, so I thought that was really key tonight.
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It’s definitely been a season to forget up on Rocky Top but it looked like the Vols were finally going to get a breakthrough win on Friday afternoon against No. 39 LSU.

LSU jumped out to the early 1-0 lead by taking the doubles point with wins at No 2 and No. 3 but Tennessee rebounded by taking four first sets in singles.

Tennessee junior Jack Schipanski blew out LSU freshman Nikola Samardzic 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 and freshman Timo Stodder put the Vols ahead with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Justin Butsch at No. 2.

Tennessee sophomore Luis Valero was serving for the match at No. 1 up 6-3, 5-4 on Jordan Daigle when play was halted due to rain.

Here were the scores at the time of the delay:
1. Valero (UT) 6-3, *5-4, 0-30
3. Csonka (LSU) 6-4, 5-2*
5. Arias (LSU) 2-1*, 30-40, in 3rd
6. Fruend (LSU) 6-1, *5-6

After roughly 30 minutes play restarted and Valero was able to come back from a 0-30 hole to close out Daigle 6-3, 6-4.

Seconds later LSU sophomore Gabor Csonka would break Tennessee freshman Srdjan Jakovljevic to close out a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 3 and then a few seconds after that LSU sophomore Simon Freund would close out Jack Heslin 6-1, 7-6(7) at No. 6. So within three minutes of play restarting the score went from 2-1 UT to tied at 3-3.

The remaining match left on court was at No. 5 between LSU senior Boris Arias and Tennessee sophomore Preston Touliatos. After play resumed, Touliatos fought off break points to hold for 2-2 in the third then he’d break for 3-2 and hold for 4-2. Touliatos served for the match up 5-4 but Arias broke from 15-40 to even it at 5-5. After two more holds it’d go to a match deciding tiebreak. Touliatos went up 3-1 but Arias took the next four to go up *5-3. Touliatos took the next two to tie it at 5-5 but Arias took the last two to close it out.

#39 LSU 4, Tennessee 3
Apr 08, 2016 at Knoxville, Tenn. (Barksdale Stadium) 
Singles competition
1. #109 Luis Valero (UT) def. #79 Jordan Daigle (LSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Timo Stodder (UT) def.  #95 Justin Butsch (LSU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Gabor Csonka (LSU) def. Srdjan Jakovljevic (UT) 6-4, 6-2
4. Jack Schipanski (UT) def. Nikola Samardzic (LSU) 6-1, 6-1
5. Boris Arias (LSU) def. Preston Touliatos (UT) 0-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
6. Simon Freund (LSU) def. Jack Heslin (UT) 6-1, 7-6 (9-7)
Doubles competition
1. #11 Jordan Daigle/Boris Arias (LSU) def. #15 Jack Schipanski/Luis Valero (UT) 7-5
2. Justin Butsch/Tam Trinh (LSU) def. Preston Touliatos/Jack Heslin (UT) 7-5
3. Srdjan Jakovljevic/Timo Stodder (UT) def. Andrew Korinek/Gabor Csonka (LSU) 6-2
Match Notes:
LSU 13-9 (4-6 SEC); National ranking #39 
Tennessee 11-13 (0-9 SEC)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,2,1,3,6,5)
Post-Match Quotes from LSU’s recap
“Finding a way to win in a tough situation is a special thing, head coach Jeff Brown said. “It was a tough day. It was very cold, windy and not a lot of atmosphere there. We had some guys really step up in Gabor (Csonka), Boris (Arias) and Simon (Freund). They stepped up in a tough situation against a very hungry team, against a desperate team and it was a win that took a lot of character more than great play. It just took a lot of character.
Post-Match Quotes from UT’s recap
“First, I’m incredibly proud of this team and how they continue to turn up and try to get better in practice,” Tennessee head coach Sam Winterbotham said. “In these matches, they’re fighting, giving everything they have. Today, we were one or two points away from getting over that hump. We’re getting closer and closer. This team continues to fight and impress with their resiliency and desire to get over the hump. They’re getting there. Different guys are stepping up.

“Now we’re looking forward to Sunday’s match against Texas A&M at noon. We look forward to a good crowd to support these guys.”

Other Friday Scores:

ACC:
#3 Virginia def. #31 Georgia Tech 5-2 – UVA recap – UVA led 5-0 & GT won last two
#23 Florida State def. Louisville 4-3 – FSU recap – FSU led 4-0 & UL won last three
#40 Virginia Tech def. Clemson 5-2 – VT recap – Contini (#2/#3) didn’t play singles for VT
#41 NC State def. #75 Miami FL 4-3 – NCST recap – Ivan Saleljic won decider 6-4 in 3rd

SEC:
#16 Arkansas def. #43 Vanderbilt 5-2 – ARK recap – VU took dubs & Arky took next five matches
#62 South Carolina def. #59 Auburn 4-3 – SC recap – Benton put SC ahead 4-2 by winning 6-1 in 3rd

Pac-12:
#4 UCLA def. Arizona 4-0 – UCLA recap – UCLA took dubs and won every completed set
#8 USC def. #72 Utah 4-1 – USC recap – de Vroome clinched 7-6, 6-4 at No. 1 – close match
#19 Cal def. #30 Washington 4-0 – CAL recap – Singles played first w Goransson clinching 6-2, 6-2
#42 Stanford def. #36 Oregon 4-2 – ST recap – Singles played first w Wilczynski clinching 6-3 in 3rd

Big Ten: 
#5 Ohio State def. Indiana 4-0 – IU recap – Diaz clinched 7-5, 6-4 at No. 2
#13 Northwestern def. Nebraska 4-1 – NW recap – Nebraska took dubs but NW won all singles sets
#15 Illinois def. #63 Iowa 4-0 – ILL recap – Aron Hiltzik clinched 6-2, 6-4 at No. 3
#21 Michigan def. Minnesota 4-1 – MICH recap – Tekavec clinched 6-4, 6-3 at No. 6
#33 Penn State def. #57 Michigan 4-1 – PSU recap – Barry clinched 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3
#44 Wisconsin def. Michigan State 7-0 – UW recap – UW won 12 of 14 singles sets
#63 Iowa def. Creighton 7-0 – UI recap – Iowa won 12 of 13 singles sets though several TBs

#29 San Diego def. San Francisco 6-0 – USD recap – Singles only – Uros got the gameball
#49 Denver def. Oral Roberts 6-1 – DU recap – ORU’s only point came via a default
#56 Utah State def. Nevada 4-0 – USU recap – USU won all but one set in singles
#64 Boise State def. Fresno State 4-2 – BSU recap – Mitchell clinched 6-0 in 3rd

3 Comments

  1. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:17 pm

    You're right – I read that backwards – thanks for mentioning it.

  2. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:17 pm

    Wasn't Oklahoma actually leading TCU 5-0 at #3 doubles?

  3. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:17 pm

    Being there for the UGA vs FL match was a real college sporting event thrill. Loads of coeds who really got into the matches plus the Dawg Dancers and pep band made it a special evening. I think the crowd size was larger than advertised since there are two entrances to the complex and many folks use the second one but I don't think we are counted. Truly an amazing experience to witness from beginning to end.