Wild Day in the SEC (Women), Oregon Upsets Stanford, Michigan Slides Past Northwestern, Alabama State Men & Women Win SWAC Tourney

Sunday was as wild a day as it gets in the SEC with four lower ranked women’s teams picking up wins with two of those wins coming over No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Georgia. The SEC is the only Power 5 Women’s Conference to have its conference tournament this coming week so many of these same teams will see each other much sooner than they had probably hoped. Sunday was a day of redemption for some teams on the men’s side with both Oregon and Michigan overcoming tough losses to pick up a top 25 win. 

Vanderbilt won its first-ever SEC regular season championship and it did it in style by knocking off the top ranked Florida Gators 4-2. Vanderbilt jumped out to the early 1-0 lead after taking the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and then the teams split opening sets in singles. Florida picked up straight set wins from Ingrid Neel and Brooke Austin at No. 3 and No. 5 but Vanderbilt closed out each of its matches in straight sets with Astra Sharma, Sydney Campbell, and Fernanda Contreras winning at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 6 with the Nashville native Sydney Campbell getting the clincher. 

#5 Vanderbilt 4, #1 Florida 2
Apr 16, 2017 at Nashville, Tenn. (Currey Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #4 Astra Sharma (VANDY) def. #7 Belinda Woolcock (UF) 6-2, 6-4
2. #17 Sydney Campbell (VANDY) def. #14 Josie Kuhlman (UF) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
3. #30 Ingrid Neel (UF) def. #98 Christina Rosca (VANDY) 6-0, 7-5
4. Emma Kurtz (VANDY) vs. #37 Anna Danilina (UF) 3-6, 6-6, unfinished
5. Brooke Austin (UF) def. Georgina Sellyn (VANDY) 6-4, 6-4
6. #91 Fernanda Contreras (VANDY) def. #40 Kourtney Keegan (UF) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #5 Astra Sharma/Emily Smith (VANDY) def. #19 Anna Danilina/Ingrid Neel (UF) 6-4
2. #18 Brooke Austin/Kourtney Keegan (UF) def. Emma Kurtz/Sydney Campbell (VANDY) 6-2
3. Christina Rosca/Fernanda Contreras (VANDY) def. Belinda Woolcock/Josie Kuhlman (UF) 6-4
Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (5,6,1,3,2)

Quotes from Vandy’s recap
“I lost a heartbreaker two years ago in the same position, so it’s really nice to, as a senior, come out and pull it out for us,” Campbell said.

“Imagine that pressure that was on her,” coach Geoff Macdonald said. “And to handle it like that, I liken it to having to kick a field goal to win the Super Bowl, into the wind from about 45 yards – for about half an hour.”

“I had time to kind of prepare myself for it,” Campbell said. “That situation is what everyone wants and dreams of having. I enjoyed having everyone watching and cheering me on.”

“It’s amazing,” Campbell said. “To be a part of all the firsts in my four years, ending it this way is really fitting. Coach does everything for us and works extremely hard. I’m really glad that he finally got this.”

“We often think of the SEC or the SEC Tournament as being as difficult as NCAAs,” Macdonald said. “There’s no difference; you’re playing the best teams in the country. To [win the SEC Tournament] would be amazing, but right now we’re just going to enjoy this.”

“Now it’s basically a new season, which is awesome,” Campbell said. “We’re all really excited for what’s in store at the SEC Tournament.”

Post-Match Quotes from Florida’s recap

Postmatch with UF Head Coach Roland Thornqvist:
“Vanderbilt played a championship-caliber match today. It was like a real SEC final and they played with better courage than we had in doubles. I thought they were stronger than we were in singles, also.

“I told our players that I hope it really motivates us for next week (SEC Tournament) because for such a big match, it was disappointing that we couldn’t raise our level better than this. I think all our players agreed.

“I’m hoping that maybe this turns into a blessing in disguise so we have a little more of an edge to us in the postseason.”

Texas A&M earned its highest-ranked win in program history by going on the road and knocking off No. 2 Georgia 4-2. The Aggies took the doubles point and then picked up three straight set wins with Rutuja Bhosale clinching at No. 2 with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Elena Christofi. Check out Texas A&M’s recap for more of the pertinent details. 

#21 Texas A&M 4, #2 Georgia 2
Apr 16, 2017 at Athens, Ga (Dan Magill Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. #22 Rachel Pierson (A&M) def. #25 Ellen Perez (UGA) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
2. #79 Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) def. #11 Elena Christofi (UGA) 7-5, 6-4
3. #67 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Domenica Gonzalez (A&M) 6-2, 6-3
4. #58 Caroline Brinson (UGA) vs. Saska Gavrilovska (A&M) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0, unfinished
5. Marta Gonzalez (UGA) def. Macarena Olivares (A&M) 6-2, 6-2
6. Eva Paalma (A&M) def. #112 Mariana Gould (UGA) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #11 Ellen Perez/Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. #4 Rachel Pierson/Rutuja Bhosale (A&M) 6-4
2. Domenica Gonzalez/Eva Paalma (A&M) def. #29 Elena Christofi/Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) 7-5
3. Saska Gavrilovska/Stefania Hristov (A&M) def. #90 Marta Gonzalez/Mariana Gould (UGA) 6-1
Match Notes:
Texas A&M 16-11, 6-7; National ranking #21
Georgia 17-4, 11-2; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,3,1,6,2)
UGA Rankings: ITA #2, USTA #5
Texas A&M Ranking: ITA #21, USTA #24
Official: Karen Badger-Mabry T-2:54 A-515

Post-Match Quotes from TAMU’s recap
“It was an amazing accomplishment for our fine group of ladies,” Aggies second-year head coach Mark Weaver proclaimed. “What an incredible turn to the regular season. This is the highest ranked win and also the first time in the history of our program to beat Georgia, and to do it on their home courts is quite a feat. The girls have shown an incredible amount of heart, not only today but how we have faced much adversity throughout the season. We are looking forward to getting right back to work as we head into the SEC tournament on Thursday.”

Post-Match Quotes from UGA’s recap
“Super tough loss today, Texas A&M came in and played great against us,” Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace said. “They had a lot of momentum and a lot of energy after they won that doubles point. I really thought we had our chance to get that doubles point on court No. 2 when we were up 4-1. Losing that doubles point can really put you behind. We had a good start to the singles matches, we were up on almost every court, but gave it away. We lost a couple first sets and it got away for a while and you just can’t do that at this level.”

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Arkansas came into the weekend two spots out of the top 16, which is where you need to be to host a NCAA regional, but they left it all on the court after defeating a second top 20 team on the road in the last three days with a 4-2 win at No. 11 Auburn. Arkansas’s Ana Oparenovic clinched the win for the Razorbacks by defeating Alizee Michaud 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at No. 2. 

#18 Arkansas 4, #11 Auburn 2
Apr 16, 2017 at Auburn, Ala. (Yarbrough Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #39 Andie Dikosavljevic (AU) def. #49 Shannon Hudson (AR) 6-4, 6-4
2. #92 Ana Oparenovic (AR) def. #26 Alizee Michaud (AU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
3. Taylor Russo (AU) vs. #114 Léolia Jeanjean (AR) 6-4, 2-6, 4-3, unfinished
4. Giulia Pairone (AR) def. Georgie Axon (AU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Mia Jurasic (AR) def. Roos van der Zwaan (AU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Alannah Griffin (AU) def. Natsuho Arakawa (AR) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Giulia Pairone/Léolia Jeanjean (AR) def. #16 Alizee Michaud/Taylor Russo (AU) 6-1
2. Ana Oparenovic/Mia Jurasic (AR) def. Alannah Griffin/Andie Dikosavljevic (AU) 6-2
3. #43 Caroline Turner/Georgie Axon (AU) vs. Shannon Hudson/Natsuho Arakawa (AR) 3-4, unfinished
Match Notes
Arkansas 17-8 (7-6 SEC); National ranking #18
Auburn 21-9 (5-8 SEC); National ranking #11
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,6,1,4,2)
Match played outdoors

Post-Match Quote from Arkansas’s recap
“This was a massive clincher for Ana, who played her best match of the season today in the biggest moment,” head coach Michael Hegarty said. “But the day belongs to the entire team who competed all weekend with the best Razorback hearts a coach could ask for. Hats off to Auburn who helped us grow a great amount today.”

Tennessee gained some momentum going into the SEC Tournament after defeating No. 19 LSU 4-2. The Vols overcame the loss of the doubles point by picking up four singles wins with freshman Johanna Silva clinching at No. 5. 

#23 Tennessee 4, #19 LSU 2
April 16, 2017 at Knoxville, Tenn. (Barksdale Stadium)
Singles competition
1. #59 Brittany Lindl (UTW) def. #18 Jade Lewis (LSU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Eve Repic (UTW) vs. #60 Joana Valle Costa (LSU) 4-6, 6-4, 5-2, unfinished
3. #118 Ryann Foster (LSU) def. Sadie Hammond (UTW) 6-2, 6-3
4. Ariadna Riley (UTW) def. Jessica Golovin (LSU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Johanna Silva (UTW) def. Becca Weissmann (LSU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
6. Ashley Bongart (UTW) def. Skylar Holloway (LSU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #23 Joana Valle Costa/Ryann Foster (LSU) def. #72 Brittany Lindl/Eve Repic (UTW) 7-5
2. Sadie Hammond/Gabby Schuck (UTW) def. Jade Lewis/Becca Weissmann (LSU) 6-0
3. Jessica Golovin/Skylar Holloway (LSU) def. Ariadna Riley/Johanna Silva (UTW) 7-5
Match Notes:
LSU 13-9; National ranking #19
Tennessee 17-10; National ranking #23
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,1,3,6,5)

Post-Match Quotes from Tennessee’s recap
“It was a pretty exciting regular season finish,” head coach Alison Ojeda said. “Our team did such a great job of bringing the energy, staying disciplined, and continuing to fight for one another from start to finish. We talked before the match about this being our seniors’ last home match of their career. Eve and Brittany have both been through a lot of ups and downs since their freshman year at Tennessee. In January, I promised them I would do whatever I could to make their senior year the best one yet. To watch their teammates shower them with the Gatorade coolers today was just priceless. I am so happy for them. I’m also incredibly thankful for them.”

“I knew it was a really important match because it was our last match in the regular season and our last official home match with our seniors,” Silva said. “In every close situation, I was just thinking about my team, and they gave me so much energy through cheering. I found the strength to clinch the match. I am super proud of the performance of my team and looking forward to play with them in the SEC Tournament.”

“I’ve asked Kim Kermet and Ashley to be ready every match now for the last four weeks and today was Ashley’s day,” Ojeda said. “She got the call and did an excellent job competing. Our freshmen have been stellar all year [winning 45 out of their 80 matches in singles], and today, they both contributed greatly to our teams win. Everyone is improving daily. Kata Szekely, Ty Schaub, Ashley Thomas and myself are doing everything we can every practice to make sure our team is prepared for excellence.”

Missouri came back from a 3-2 deficit to upset No. 33 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Mizzou took the doubles point and then after falling behind 3-2 the Tigers won the final two courts with Armina Ismail and Mackenzy Middlebrook each winning 6-4 in the third at No. 5 and No. 4.

Missouri 4, #33 Alabama 3
Apr 16, 2017 at Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Alabama Tennis Stadium)
Singles competition
1. Bea Machado Santos (MIZ) def. #15 Erin Routliffe (UA) 6-0, 7-6(1)
2. Andie Daniell (UA) def. Tate Schroeder (MIZ) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
3. Danielle Spielmann (UA) def. Cassidy Spearman (MIZ) 6-2, 6-3
4. Mackenzy Middlebrook (MIZ) def. Smith Hinton (UA) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
5. Amina Ismail (MIZ) def. Maddie Pothoff (UA) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
6. Juliana Valero (UA) def. Clare Raley (MIZ) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Erin Routliffe/Maddie Pothoff (UA) vs. Bea Machado Santos/Amina Ismail (MIZ) 4-2, unfinished
2. Mackenzy Middlebrook/Cassidy Spearman (MIZ) def. Andie Daniell/Joanna Saava (UA) 6-3
3. Clare Raley/Tate Schroeder (MIZ) def. Danielle Spielmann/Smith Hinton (UA) 6-3
Match Notes:
Mizzou 11-13, 2-11 SEC
Alabama 8-15, 2-11 SEC; National ranking #33
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,1,2,6,5,4)
T-3:19

Post-Match Quote from Mizzou’s recap
“It’s exciting to get one of these wins,” head coach Colt Gaston said. “The girls earned it. These girls, particularly the freshmen have been through a lot, losing some close battles. That was the biggest thing that I was proud of today, Mackenzy [Middlebrooks] learned from her experience. She was down in the third set, but she turned it around and really became a different player out there. That’s what I am most proud of. We knew we were going to give ourselves an opportunity. We have been doing it all season. But today the goal was to finish. We had an opportunity to put the pedal down today and we were able to take advantage.”

Other Sunday SEC Women’s Results:

#12 South Carolina won at #13 Kentucky 4-3 – Gamecocks jumped out to a 3-1 lead then had to hold on with Silvia Chinellato winning the decider 6-2 in the third at No. 5

The SEC Tournament gets underway on Wednesday in Nashville – you can view the bracket down below or at this link.  

Oregon lost a heartbreaker on Friday to Cal but the Ducks rebounded on Sunday and knocked off Stanford for the third time in the last four years with a thrilling 4-3 win. Stanford grabbed the early lead after securing the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and then the Cardinal added four first sets in singles.

Stanford picked up straight set wins from David Wilczynski and William Genesen at No. 3 and No. 5 while Oregon picked up straight set wins from Thomas Laurent and Cormac Clissold at No. 1 and No. 4. Laurent’s win over Tom Fawcett gave him 28 wins on the season which breaks the school’s single season wins record which was previously held by Sven Swinnen (2005).

Oregon’s Akihiro Tanaka upset Sameer Kumar (who was injured according to Goldstein’s post-match quotes) and then Ethan Young-Smith won the decider with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Jack Barber at No. 6.  

Post-Match Quotes from Oregon’s recap
“That was a huge win,” said head coach Nils Schyllander. “That’s a really big win for our program and it was so exciting watching Ethan battle through adversity to clinch the victory. It puts us in a really good position for a good seed at the NCAA Tournament as well as the Pac-12s in Ojai, so this was really huge.”

“That’s an unbelievable feeling,” Young-Smith said. “Being the one to clinch it, it was just unreal. I never would have imagined myself out there in that situation grinding it out with my teammates and taking the W. It feels really, really good. As a team now, we just feel comfortable in what we’re doing, everyone is playing loose and I think we’re going to do well.”

“There’s really not much to say; Thomas (Laurent) is as good as anyone in college tennis,” Schyllander said. “He’s going to go down as one of the greatest players in program history, for sure. He’s just so solid, there are no weaknesses in his game.”

Post-Match Quotes from Stanford’s recap
“Today was a disappointing result against Oregon,” stated Paul Goldstein, the Taube Family Director of Men’s Tennis, “we had a lot of guys in difficult spots – Sameer was injured and gave it all he had, and Jack Barber returned to the line-up facing an opponent who played some outstanding tennis. We had our opportunities, but were unable to finish and we now need to return home and prepare for Cal on Saturday.”

Michigan was coming off a tough loss to Illinois but the Wolverines fought back and picked up hard fought 4-3 win over No. 21 Northwestern. Michigan took the doubles point and got straight set wins from Myles Schalet and Carter Lin at No. 3 and No. 5 while Norhtwestern picked up straight set wins from Strong Kirchheimer, Dominik Stary, and Jason Seidman at No. 1, No. 4, and No. 6. 

Michigan’s Alex Knight would come back from a set down to win the decider over Konrad Zieba 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

M: ICYMI – Knight’s heroics clinch a U-M victory over Northwestern! #GoBlue ?

https://t.co/ponTakIot8

— Michigan Tennis (@umichtennis) April 17, 2017

#14 Michigan 4, #21 Northwestern 3
April 16, 2017 at Ann Arbor, MI (Varsity Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #39 Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. #69 Jathan Malik (MICH), 6-2, 7-6
2. Alex Knight (MICH) def. #54 Konrad Zieba (NU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0*
3. #98 Myles Schalet (MICH) def. Sam Shropshire (NU), 7-5, 6-4
4. Dominik Stary (NU) def. Runhao Hua (MICH), 6-2, 7-5
5. Carter Lin (MICH) def. Ben Vandixhorn (NU), 6-1, 6-4
6. Jason Seidman (NU) def. Conor Johnston (MICH), 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: 5, 6, 1, 3, 4, 2*
Doubles competition
1. #17 Jathan Malik / Conor Johnston (MICH) def. #52 Konrad Zieba / Sam Shropshire, 7-5*
2. Alex Knight / Runhao Hua (MICH) def. #57 Dominik Stary / Strong Kirchheimer (NU), 6-2
3. Chris Ephron / Michael Lorenzini (NU) def. Kevin Wong / Myles Schalet (MICH), 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1* 

Sunday was a great day for the Alabama State men’s and women’s tennis teams with both winning the SWAC Championship and corresponding berth to the NCAA Tournament. The men won their second title in the last three years with a 4-0 win over Jackson State while the women won their first title since 1999 by coming back from 2-0 down to defeat Jackson State 4-2. 

It was the first time in 11 years that the same school (Texas Southern) won both the men’s and women’s tournaments in the same year. 

Alabama State 4, Jackson State 0
April 16, 2017 at New Orleans, LA (Pepsi Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Takura Mlambo (ALST) def. Joan Sanson (JKST) 6-2, 6-1
2. Ion Efrim (ALST) vs. Andrey Alawi (JKST) 6-3, 3-1 (dnf)
3. Tomas Fernandez (ALST) def. Fritz Jacobs (JKST) 6-1, 6-1
4. Carl-Louis Luckmann (ALST) def. Ferderico Mendieta (JKST) 7-5, 6-3
5. Karlo Skvorc (ALST) vs. Stylianos Gkontsaris (JKST) 6-2, 0-6, 0-1 (dnf)
6. Digvijay Naruka (ALST) vs. Vishu Prasad (JKST) 2-6, 3-3 (dnf)
Doubles competition
1. Mlambo/Efrim (ALST) def. Swanier/Jacobs (JKST), 6-2
2. Alawi/Mendieta (JKST) vs. Skvorc/Naruka (ASU), 5-2 (dnf)
3. Fernandez/Luckmann (ASU) def. Prasad/Gkontsaris (JKST), 6-4

Alabama State 4, Jackson State 2
April 16, 2017 at New Orleans, LA (Pepsi Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Reka Szentes (ALST) vs. Tyler Smith (JKST) 6-0, 2-6, 4-0, unfinished
2. Marine Cartier (ALST) def. Lucia Solis (JKST) 6-1, 6-3
3. Brankica Orlovic (ALST) def. Oni Jones (JKST) 6-2, 6-4
4. Gabriela Lackova (ALST) def. Nina Zhang (JKST) 6-4, 6-2
5. Mirna Curcic (ALST) def. Ariel Dickson (JKST) 6-3, 7-5
6. Dasha Butorina (JKST) def. Marija Blazevic (ALST) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Oni Jones/Ariel Dickson (JKST) def. Brankica Orlovic/Marija Blazevic (ALST) 6-3
2. Tyler Smith/Lucia Solis (JKST) def. Reka Szentes/Marine Cartier (ALST) 6-2
3. Mirna Curcic/Gabriela Lackova (ALST) def. Nina Zhang/Dasha Butorina (JKST) 6-1