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TCU Wins Share of Big 12 & Conference Tournaments Underway

by | Apr 21, 2016 | Blog | 8 comments

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TCU won a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a 4-0 win over No. 43 Baylor in front of a huge crowd of 1816 – not bad for a Wednesday night.

Baylor had won the previous 16 meetings, with TCU’s last win coming back in 2001, but it was definitely TCU’s night. The Horned Frogs, who hadn’t won a conference title since 2009 when they were in the Mountain West, were pretty dominate all night as they started it off by taking the doubles point with a 6-1 win at No. 3 and a 6-4 win at No. 1.

Once singles got underway, TCU kept its foot on the accelerator and won all six first sets. Trevor Johnson was off the court in under an hour with a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Tyler Stayer at No. 6 and Jerry Lopez wasn’t too far behind with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Tommy Podvinski at No. 5.

TCU was ahead on all four remaining courts and in a race to clinch it was Alex Rybakov getting there first with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Max Tchoutakian at No. 2. The win over Baylor extends the Horned Frogs home winning streak to 28 and extends its overall winning streak to 17.



#4 TCU 4, #43 Baylor 0
Apr 20, 2016 at Fort Worth, Texas (Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #5 Cameron Norrie (TCU) vs. #15 Julian Lenz (BU) 6-4, 4-3, unfinished
2. #24 Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. #87 Max Tchoutakian (BU) 6-2, 6-4
3. #88 Guillermo Nuez (TCU) vs. Felipe Rios (BU) 7-5, 3-3, unfinished
4. Eduardo Nava (TCU) vs. Jimmy Bendeck (BU) 6-4, 5-4, unfinished
5. Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Tommy Podvinski (BU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Trevor Johnson (TCU) def. Tyler Stayer (BU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. #73 Reese Stalder/Hudson Blake (TCU) def. #77 Max Tchoutakian/Tommy Podvinski (BU) 6-4
2. Trevor Johnson/Guillermo Nuez (TCU) vs. Felipe Rios/Jimmy Bendeck (BU) 4-4, unfinished
3. Cameron Norrie/Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. Julian Lenz/Tyler Stayer (BU) 6-1
Match Notes:
Baylor 14-12, 1-4; National ranking #43
TCU 22-2, 4-0; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,5,2)
A-1816

Post-Match Quotes from head coach David Roditi via TCU’s recap
“This is a special accomplishment for our program and for this group of guys. We have such a young team and I don’t think they even realize what they just accomplished. I know some of our guys that just graduated realize how hard it is to win this conference in tennis and in any sport. This is just such a competitive conference and I am proud of that.
“I hope our fans really enjoy this. This is for them and this is for the guys that have helped us get to this level and be able to recruit these guys that we just did. There is a lot of people that made this happen and I am just proud to be part of it as a coach and as an alumni.”
On the singles and doubles matches
“I felt like we competed really well tonight. We got out of some moments like being down 0-40 on our serves and we would come back and hold. Anytime they were making a run at us, we just dug in deeper and deeper and were able to get out. When Guillermo (Nuez) won that sixth first set, I think it just kind of broke their will. It was hard for them to look around and see where they were going to get four points.
“I am really proud of our guys and I wish Cameron (Norrie) had a chance to finish his match because he deserved that win over a very good player in Julian Lenz. Lenz has been beating us for what feels like 10 years so it would have been nice to see Cameron beat him. In doubles, Hudson (Blake) and Reese (Stalder) are playing at such a high level. The way Hudson closed out that doubles point was pretty impressive. He just loves to compete and I love that about him.”
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Oregon advanced to the quarterfinals at the Pac-12 Tournament in Ojai with a 4-0 win over Arizona. Oregon pulled out a tight doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 then the Ducks took four opening sets in singles.

Oregon picked up straight set wins from Simon Stevens, Thomas Laurent, and Jayson Amos at 2, 3, and 4 with Stevens providing the clincher. The remaining matches were abandoned with Arizona up a set on two of the three courts.

Oregon will be back at it on Thursday with a noon pacific match versus the No. 4 seed Stanford with the winner of that match advancing to the semifinals against top-seeded UCLA.

The Arizona loss marked the end of the Tad Berkowitz era in Tucson with Berkowitz deciding last week to step down after 12 years as head coach of the Wildcats.

#35 Oregon 4, Arizona 0
Wednesday, April 20 | Ojai, Calif. | Libbey Park
Singles Competition
1. #125 Naoki Takeda (Arizona) vs. Daan Maasland (Oregon) 7-5, 3-4, unf.
2. Simon Stevens (Oregon) def. Will Kneale (Arizona) 7-6 (4), 6-1
3. Thomas Laurent (Oregon) def. Jason Jaruvang (Arizona) 6-0, 6-2
4. Jayson Amos (Oregon) def. Trent Botha (Arizona) 6-1, 6-4
5. Cormac Clissold (Oregon) vs. Harry Busby (Arizona) 7-6(5), 3-4
6. Shoki Kasahara (Arizona) vs. Ethan Young-Smith (Oregon) 6-2, 3-6, 2-1, unf.
Doubles Competition
1. #35 Jayson Amos/Armando Soemarno (Oregon) vs. Will Kneale/Oliver Plaskett (Arizona) 6-6 unf
2. Daan Maasland/Simon Stevens (Oregon) def. Naoki Takeda/Will Adkisson (Arizona) 7-5
3. Cormac Clissold/Thomas Laurent (Oregon) def. Shoki Kasahara/Matt Dunn (Arizona) 6-3
Match Notes
Oregon 18-6; National Ranking #35
Arizona 8-18
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,4,2)
Post-Match Quotes from head coach Nils Schyllander via Oregon’s recap
On the match“We certainly didn’t play our best tennis today, but we played hard and we managed to get a convincing win. We’re very excited to play Stanford tomorrow. We had a battle with them two weeks ago and we’re looking forward to getting another shot at them.
On his team becoming the winningest squad under his tenure“These guys have done a great job from day one and they pay attention to the small details. They do the right things Monday through Thursday and it pays off when we’re competing Friday through Sunday. The match today was a testament to that.
Post-Match Quotes from Arizona’s recap
“These guys gave it everything they had today and I am so proud of their effort, said head coach Tad Berkowitz. “Most importantly, they are a team with character and compete with a lot of pride. They put us in a position today but we came up a little short.
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The second match of the day at the Pac-12 Tournament was much closer than the first with the match between Washington and Utah decided by a third set at No. 3 singles. Washington took the doubles point with a pair of 6-3 wins at No. 2 and No. 3 and then the Huskies took four opening sets in singles.

Utah’s David Micevski tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Enzo Sommer at No. 2 but Washington’s Kawika Lam put the Huskies back ahead with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Jamey Swiggart at No. 6.

Utah’s Egbert Weverink tied the match at 2-2 with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win over Jake Douglas at No. 4 but Washington retook the lead when Mitch Stewart defeated Matt Cowley 7-5, 6-3 at No. 1.

Utah tied it up at 3-3 with Parker McGuiness holding off Sebastian Hawken 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 5 so the match would be decided at No. 3 between UW junior Gal Hakak and Utah freshman Dan Little.

Gal Hakak (UW)

Hakak took the opening set 6-1 and then Little claimed the second 6-4. Little held on the deciding point to even it at 4-4 in the third but Hakak quickly held for 5-4. Hakak would break Little from 15-40 to close it out 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

Washington will be back on the court on Thursday afternoon at 3pm PT against the No. 3 seed California with the winner advancing to face USC in the semifinals.

Despite the loss Utah should feel proud of its season after second-year head coach Roeland Brateanu guided the Utes to its highest win total (17) since 1988.

[6] #37 Washington 4,  [7] #71 Utah 3

Wednesday, April 20 | Ojai, Calif. | Libbey Park
Doubles Competition
1 Foley/Watanabe (UW) vs. #87 Cowley/Little (UTAH) 3-5 (DNF)
2 Lam/Sommer (UW) def. McGuiness/Swiggart (UTAH) 6-3
3 Douglas/Hakak (UW) def. McGeehan/Weverink (UTAH) 6-3
Singles Competition
1 #91 Mitch Stewart (UW) def. Matt Cowley (UTAH) 7-5, 6-3
2 David Micevski (UTAH) def. Enzo Sommer (UW) 6-4, 6-4
3 Gal Hakak (UW) def. Dan Little (UTAH) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
4 Egbert Weverink (UTAH) def. Jake Douglas (UW) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
5 Parker McGuiness (UTAH) def. Sebastian Hawken (UW) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
6 Kawika Lam (UW) def. Jamey Swiggart (UTAH) 7-5, 6-4
Match Notes
Washington 17-8; National ranking #37
Utah 17-10; National ranking #71
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,6,4,1,5,3)
Post-Match Quotes from Washington’s recap
“It was another exciting Pac-12 tennis match today, said head coach Matt Anger. “They all are really, even if the score is 4-0, or 4-1 they’re usually much closer than the score indicates.
“I really like Utah’s team, said Anger. “They were missing some guys from early in the season that they have back now. They’re a better team than where they are ranked right now.

“It was a tough match and a really good win for us to pull out today, said Anger. “I’m very excited that we get to play California tomorrow.
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Tennessee may have gone 0-12 in SEC play during the regular season but that didn’t stop the Vols from pulling off a mild upset with a 4-3 win over Auburn.

Tennessee was in good shape in doubles after getting a 6-4 win at No. 1 while it’s No. 3 team served for the match up 5-4. However Auburn would break back at No. 3 and go on to win both that court and No. 2 by 7-5 scores.

Auburn increased its lead to 3-0 with straight set wins from Dante Saleh and Brandon Laubser at No. 4 and No. 5 but Tennessee was in control on the other four courts.

Tennessee picked up straight set wins from Luis Valero, Igor Smelyanski, Timo Stodder, and Jack Heslin with Stodder clinching at No. 3.

Tennessee will play the No. 5 seed Kentucky on Thursday afternoon at 2pm eastern with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals against Mississippi State.

(13) Tennessee 4, #65 (12) Auburn 3
4/20/2016 at Columbia, S.C. (Carolina Tennis Center)
Singles Competition
1. #67 Luis Valero (UT) def. #75 Marko Krickovic (AU) 6-3, 6-2
2. Igor Smelyanski (UT) def. #99 Maxime Hinnisdaels (AU) 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 
3. Timo Stodder (UT) def. C. Huertas del Pino (AU) 7-5, 6-2
4. Dante Saleh (AU) def. Srdjan Jakoljevic (UT) 6-3, 6-0
5. Brandon Laubser (AU) def. Jack Schipanski (UT) 6-3, 6-1
6. Jack Heslin (UT) def. Olle Thestrup (AU) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. #23 Jack Schipanski/Luis Valero (UT) def. #37 Marko Krickovic/Edward Nguyen (AU) 6-4 
2. Maxime Hinnisdaels/Brandon Laubser (AU) def. Igor Smelyanski/Jack Heslin (UT) 7-5
3. Dante Saleh/C. Huertas del Pino (AU) def. Srdjan Jakoljevic/Timo Stodder (UT) 7-5
Match Notes:
(13) Tennessee 12-16, 0-12 SEC
(12) Auburn 12-14, 2-10 SEC; National ranking #65 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,5,6,1,2,3) 
SEC Tournament (1st Round)
Post-Match Quotes from Tennessee’s recap
“Luis provided tremendous leadership, winning doubles and singles on court 1,” Tennessee head coach Sam Winterbotham said. “He just really led us. You can just see the confidence oozing out of him right now. He’s playing at a high level.”
“It’s really good to have Igor back in the lineup,” Winterbotham said. “It makes us a better team. I think that made a big difference for us today.”

“I’m really proud of Timo,” Winterbotham said. “Timo’s a very good player, but he’s a freshman and hasn’t been in this situation before. I thought he handled the match very well and finished strong.”

8 Comments

  1. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:18 pm

    Yes. UGA was not even that good this year but swept through the SEC with little sweat. I don't expect a strong showing from the SEC come NCAA tournament time

  2. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:18 pm

    ARKY was likely overrated based on one good win over Texas AnM. Other than Georgia not many SEC teams have great or even good wins outside their conference. The Gators are a good example – lots of close losses but no real wins outside the SEC.

  3. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:18 pm

    The last two years have not been good after two decent ones – seemed like the team showed some fight in a few matches (Notre Dame/Duke) that I didn't think they'd win but then they barely scratched out 4-3 wins against teams they should have rolled (Boston College/Mercer/Presbyterian). They also lost to Mercer as well.<br /><br />Here is his year-by-year records since taking over for the 2008-09 season (ACC/Overall)<br /><br />2009: 3-8/11-13<br />2010: 3-8/17-10<br />2011: 2-9/15-12<br />2012: 5-6/9-14<br />2013: 6-4/19-8 – NCAA 2nd Round<br />2014: 7-6/21-9 – NCAA 2nd Round<br />2015: 3-11/12-16<br />2016: 5-8/16-14<br /><br />I could see him back for one more year but on a shorter leash but I also wouldn't be surprised if the school decided it was time for a change. <br />

  4. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    Yep they played themselves right out of hosting a regional – no chance now. I chalked up the loss last weekend to Redlicki not being in the lineup but today SC just took it to them. It was a little bit of a bad break to have to play SC at SC but they did it to themselves with the loss the week prior.

  5. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    Clemson lost today. Do you think that's the end of the road for McCuen there?

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

    Wow, what has happened with Arky? They've lost 3 matches within last 7 days, 2 in a row to the Cocks, are 4-6 for month of April and lost as many matches in April as they had all season. Were ranked #12 in nation just 9 days ago. I had them as one of my overachievers until April hit.

  7. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    That's a good question – I was wondering that myself. It'd make more sense to play them at maybe 1 and 5 or even 2 and 6. Other thing I didn't get was the need to play 2 matches at the same time – in the past they've always been played 1 at a time usually 9, 12, 3, 6. It's not like the women are playing at the same venue and court space is an issue.

  8. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    why is the SEC tournament starting matches so early? Whats the rush to get off the courts? How many fans are going to go to a 10am match on a weekday?