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Saturday Super Regional Recap: TCU and North Carolina Advance With Road Wins; Florida Escapes Another Upset by Tennessee; Virginia Pulls Away From Stanford; Chalk on the Women’s Side

by | May 12, 2019 | Blog | 1 comment

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The Super Regional round is officially in the books and after the host schools started off 14-0 they finished 14-2 with the final two matches on Saturday evening producing the two seeding upsets. 

In Starkville, No. 10 seed TCU knocked off No. 7 Mississippi State 4-2 in a match that finished just over six hours after it started due to a nearly three-hour rain delay that occurred early on in singles. 

In the first meeting between the two earlier this year it was Mississippi State winning the doubles point but on Saturday it was TCU that took the early lead after picking up wins at No. 1 and No. 3.

Most of the first sets were five to six games in when play was stopped by lightning and then shortly thereafter the rain came which delayed things even further. 

Once play resumed, Mississippi State would maintain breaks leads at both No. 1 and No. 3 and eventually Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic would go on to win in straight sets to give Mississippi State the 2-1 lead. The top-ranked Borges led fourth-ranked Alex Rybakov 4-1 before the delay and would take the match 6-1, 6-4 which meant he’ll finish his senior year with a perfect 25-0 dual-match record. Rakic was serving up 3-2 in the first against Reese Stalder before the delay and after closing out the set 6-3 he’d take the second 6-2 to put MSU in front.

TCU freshman Luc Fomba tied the match at 2-2 with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Trevor Foshey at No. 5. The match was on serve before the rain came but after play resumed Foshey won three of the next four games to go in front 5-4. Foshey served for the set and had a pair of set points but Fomba managed to break and then he’d hold and break again to take the set 7-5. In the second set, Fomba broke for 4-2 and would hold serve two more times to close it out. 

All three of the other matches would go three sets though Mississippi State’s Florian Broska had a chance to close his match out at No. 6 in straight sets. Broska had match point while serving up 7-6 in the second set tiebreak but Sander Jong won the next three points to take the tiebreak 9-7.

TCU sophomore Bertus Kruger and junior Alastair Gray both took early break leads in the third sets at No. 4 and No. 2 while freshman Sander Jong would go up a break later in the third at No. 6.

Kruger would put TCU in front 3-2 after pulling away from MSU’s Niclas Braun in a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win at No. 4. Kruger broke Braun to go up 2-1 in the final set and he’d maintain the break lead the rest of the way. 

The clincher would come from Gray at No. 2. Gray trailed MSU’s Giovanni Oradini 4-2 in the opening set before the rain came but after the restart he’d take the next three games to go up 5-4. Gray would take the set in a tiebreak but Oradini came back in the second set and forced a third. Gray went ahead 2-0 in the third but Oradini broke and held to even it at 2-2. Gray held, broke, and held to go up 5-2 before Oradini held for 3-5. Gray took a medical timeout at 5-3 (15/15) after running into the fence, which caused his chin to bleed, but he still calmly closed it out from 40/15 to send TCU back to the Elite 8 for the second time in the last three years. 

The match at No. 6 went unfinished with Jong serving for the match up 5-4 in the third. 

 

TCU head coach David Roditi opening statement
“First of all, I’m as competitive as it gets. Everybody knows that. I have so much respect for what Matt (Roberts) and his staff and for what they’ve done with their program. For us to be able to come here and first of all be able to make it a match. Then, it’s unbelievable to come out of here with a win. This is one of the most organized, well-coached and disciplined programs out there. I have so much respect. It sucks, we ruined the party. We’ve been on the other side of it and know what it feels like. I thought their crowd was amazing. It was a great college match.”

On his team’s performance
“About our guys, I’m so proud of them. We had so many challenges that we had to overcome. Our travel was supposed to be a four-hour day, it turned into a 12-hour day. We got in at 3 a.m. with no bags. We couldn’t practice outdoors yesterday. It was written for disaster, but our guys didn’t care.”

“We were able to hang in there at the beginning of singles. We had some key performances. Our freshmen (Luc Fomba and Sander Jong) were huge. They won at number three doubles. Then, they played well at number five and number six singles. For Sander to come back, I don’t think he realized what he did being a set down. He won an unbelievable tiebreaker to keep his match going.”

“At the end, Alastair has a gash on his chin after he fell. There was so much blood, I thought that he might pass out. It was a hard hit against the fence, but he showed unbelievable toughness to be able to close out the match after that. I’m proud of our team. It’s big for (Alex) Rybakov to know that we have his back. I don’t know if we’ve won a match against a ranked team without Rybakov contributing. Nuno (Borges) was a beast today, and he didn’t allow him to get into the match. I’m happy, and I’m proud that we get to move on. We’ve come a long way from where we started in September.”

“TCU played a great doubles point and made it tough for us to close out some sets and matches,” Miss State head coach Matt Roberts said. “We needed to take those opportunities to put ourselves in a better situation down the stretch. We had a heck of a crowd today, and we want to thank our amazing fan base for coming out and supporting us this season. We hate that the season is over, but we’re excited to keep this program rolling with the culture we have that our four seniors have built.”

#9 TCU 4, #7 Mississippi State 2
May 11, 2019 at Starkville, MS (A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre)
Singles competition
1. #1 Nuno Borges (MS) def. #4 Alex Rybakov (TCU) 6-1, 6-4
2. #28 Alastair Gray (TCU) def. #61 Giovanni Oradini (MS) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-3
3. Strahinja Rakic (MS) def. Reese Stalder (TCU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Bertus Kruger (TCU) def. Niclas Braun (MS) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2
5. Luc Fomba (TCU) def. Trevor Foshey (MS) 7-5, 6-3
6. Florian Broska (MS) vs. Sander Jong (TCU) 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 4-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #15 Alastair Gray/Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. #3 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MS) 6-3
2. #32 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MS) def. #22 Bertus Kruger/Reese Stalder (TCU) 6-3
3. Luc Fomba/Sander Jong (TCU) def. Trevor Foshey/Gregor Ramskogler (MS) 6-2
Match Notes:
TCU 22-6; National ranking #9
Mississippi State 24-4; National ranking #7
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,3,5,4,2)
– There was a 2:50 delay in the match due to lightning/rain that began @ 2:10 pm
Official: Terry Bailey T-6:01 A-318

 

North Carolina advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the fifth time in the last six years after going on the road and defeating USC for the first-time in school history. The Tar Heels won the doubles decider at No. 1 after Bo Boyden held on the deciding point to give he and Will Blumberg a 6-4 win over Riley Smith and Brandon Holt. 

Each team took three opening sets in singles with none of them closer than 6-4. 

USC’s Mor Bulis tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 6 but UNC’s Benjamin Sigouin put the Heels back ahead after a dominating 6-0, 6-4 win at No. 2 in a match that Sigouin led from start to finish. 

Josh Peck put UNC up 3-1 after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Laurens Verboven at No. 3. Peck broke Verboven on the deciding point to go up 5-4 in the first and then he served it out to take the set 6-4. In the second set, Peck did the same thing with a deciding point break for 5-4 and then he served it out from 40/15 to close it out. 

All three of the remaining matches were in third sets with UNC just needing one while USC needed all three. 

At No. 4 singles, USC’s Riley Smith had a chance to close out UNC’s Brian Cernoch in straight sets but Cernoch fought off two match points to break and force a second set tiebreak. Cernoch won the tiebreak 7-5 and then after a break-free third set he and Smith would play another tiebreak.

UNC had match points at the same time on all three courts but USC would fight off several of them to keep its hopes alive (for just a few moments). Jake Sands fought off two match points to break Boyden to even it at 5-5 at No. 5 and Brandon Holt fought off a match point to bring up the deciding point on his 2-5 service game against Blumberg.

Riley Smith fought off a match point on Cernoch’s serve to make it 6-5 however Cernoch would put the final dagger in and would close it out on the next point to clinch. 

“I’m extremely proud of my guys,” UNC coach Sam Paul said. “It was such a great effort and they showed such resilience. Southern Cal has an incredible program and they were tremendous hosts to us this week. We’re fortunate to be moving on after beating a great team.”

“It took a total team effort to win the doubles point, and we played well in singles,” Paul said. “It was a great collegiate tennis match and we’re happy to be moving on.”

[9] #10 North Carolina 4, [8] #8 USC 1
May 11, 2019 | Marks Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Singles Competition
(1) #19 William Blumberg (UNC) vs. #6 Brandon Holt (USC) 4-6, 7-6 (4), 5-2* (40/40) susp.
(2) #39 Benjamin Sigouin (UNC) def. #24 Daniel Cukierman (USC) 6-0, 6-4
(3) #110 Josh Peck (UNC) def. #40 Laurens Verboven (USC) 6-4, 6-4
(4) #116 Brian Cernoch (UNC) def. Riley Smith (USC) – 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5)*
(5) Jake Sands (USC) vs. Blaine Boyden (UNC) 3-6, 6-3, 5-5 susp.
(6) Mor Bulis (USC) def. Mac Kiger (UNC) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles Competition
(1) #13 Blumberg/Boyden (UNC) def. #10 Holt/R. Smith (USC) 6-4
(2) Jaede /Verboven (USC) def. #90 Cernoch/Sigouin (UNC) 6-2
(3) Kiger/Soendergaard (UNC) def. Cukierman/T. Smith (USC) 6-2
Match Notes
North Carolina 21-6; National ranking #10
USC 22-8; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,2,3,4)

 

 

Florida advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third time in the last four years with a thrilling 4-2 win over No. 14 Tennessee. Florida won the doubles point after Johannes Ingildsen and McClain Kessler came back from 2-4 down to win the decider over #6 Preston Touliatos/Timo Stodder 6-4. 

In singles, Florida’s Johannes Ingildsen (#3) sat out which meant everyone from No. 4 to No. 6 was shifted up a spot while Lukas Greif came off the bench to play at No. 6. Despite the lineup shift Florida added four first sets but the first one to finish would be at No. 2 where Tennessee’s Adam Walton rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Sam Riffice. 

The Gators retook the lead with a 6-3, 6-2 win by Andy Andrade at No. 4 and Alfredo Perez made it 3-1 with a 7-5, 6-3 win at No. 3. 

It looked like Greif might close it out at No. 6 when he served for the match up 6-3, 6-5 but Andrew Rogers broke and then took the tiebreak 7-5. Rogers pulled away in the third to win it 6-2 to cut the Florida lead to 3-2. 

Tennessee was in good shape on both of the remaining courts with Timo Stodder serving up 4-2 in the third against Oliver Crawford at No. 1 while Preston Touliatos led 6-5* in the third at No. 5 against Duarte Vale. 

Touliatos and Vale went back and forth in the final frame with Touliatos going up 3-0 only to see Vale go up a break at 4-3. Touliatos broke for 4-4 but Vale broke back and had a chance to serve it out up 5-4. Touliatos broke and held for 6-5 but Vale held to force a tiebreak. Vale led 4-2 at the changeover and he’d have a match point at 6-5 but a second serve service winner by Touliatos evened it at 6-6. Vale earned another match point at *7-6, after Touliatos missed a backhand wide, but he tried to serve and volley and pushed the volley long to make it 7-7. Touliatos went up *8-7 after hammering a return but then Touliatos double faulted the match point away to make it 8-8. Vale went ahead 9-8 after Touliatos got a little flat-footed and couldn’t get to a Vale forehand in the corner and then Vale closed it out with a second serve service winner to win 10-8.

The match at No. 1 went unfinished with Crawford getting it back on serve at 4-4.  

 

“I am proud of my team, my staff and everyone associated with Tennessee tennis,” UT head coach Chris Woodruff said. “We have made Tennessee relevant again in collegiate tennis. We played for an SEC Championship and came very close to making it to the quarterfinal round down in Orlando. I’m proud of our seniors for the effort and hard work that they put in to help get us here and for the guys coming back, they now have a taste of what it takes to compete at this level and I believe they will carry us even further in the future. The expectation level for Tennessee is now very high. I want to thank the fans for their support all year long, we wouldn’t be here without them.” 

#4 Florida 4, #14 Tennessee 2
5/11/2019 at Gainesville (Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex)
Singles Competition
1. #9 Oliver Crawford (UF) vs. #23 Timo Stodder (UT) 6-2, 4-6, 4-4, unfinished
2. #51 Adam Walton (UT) def. #54 Sam Riffice (UF) 6-3, 6-1
3. Alfredo Perez (UF) def. Scott Jones (UT) 7-5, 6-3
4. #59 Andres Andrade (UF) def. Luca Wiedenmann (UT) 6-3, 6-2
5. #90 Duarte Vale (UF) def. Preston Touliatos (UT) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-8)
6. Andrew Rogers (UT) def. Lukas Greif (UF) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
Doubles Competition
1. Johannes Ingildsen/McClain Kessler (UF) def. #6 Preston Touliatos/Timo Stodder (UT) 6-4
2. Pat Harper/Scott Jones (UT) def. Alfredo Perez/Sam Riffice (UF) 6-4
3. Andres Andrade/Duarte Vale (UF) def. Adam Walton/Andrew Rogers (UT) 6-3
Match Notes:
Tennessee 22-8; National ranking #14
Florida 24-3; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,4,3,6,5)

 

Virginia weathered a late surge by Stanford and advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-2 win in a match that started outdoors and finished indoors. The Wahoos won the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and then with two first sets already in hand the rain came which forced play to move indoors over at the Boar’s Head.

Virginia ended up taking four first sets, with the final two coming in tiebreaks, but Stanford was the first to strike on the scoreboard with both Sameer Kumar and Timothy Sah winning by identical 6-4, 6-1 scores at No. 4 and No. 5. 

Stanford continued its push at both No. 1 and No. 2 with Axel Geller and Alexandre Rotsaert getting splits with Geller coming back from 6-0, 5-0 down by taking seven straight games. 

Aswin Lizen turned the tide back in Virginia’s favor with a 7-6, 6-2 win at No. 6 and both Carl Soderlund and Brandon Nakashima would pull away in the third sets with Soderlund winning 6-0, 5-7, 6-1 while Nakashima clinched with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win.

Jerry Ratcliffe had a great recap of the match with more quotes so give it a read at this link.

“Credit to Stanford as every time we play them it is just a hard-fought match. They compete so well and are so resilient,” said UVA head coach Andres Pedroso. “Before the match, I told the guys that no matter what the score is, we are always in it. Never give up, and that’s what these guys do. They fight and they always have faith. It was great to be able to play this here in Charlottesville with our fans and the community, because this place loves tennis. Now, it is really special to be in the mix with the top eight teams. It is always fun to go to the main event and battle against the best. That’s why these kids chose UVA and it is great that we have given them another opportunity to be there.”

“[Geller] came out shooting,” Sderlund said. “When I was up, he played well. [In between the second and third set], I told myself, ‘you can’t give up, for the team, for everyone out here. You can’t just let one set get you and let everyone down.’ I got a good start [in the last set]. I told myself that I needed to come out with the energy, because if I came out quiet, he was just going to keep shooting. I thought ‘energy, energy, energy,’ and it worked out. I have never played a match like that before. I won 11 games in a row and then he won seven in a row, but you never know what is going to happen after you take a five-minute break. That is why you have to try to bring the energy, try to reset every point. That has been a big theme of our team this year. I tried to follow that and do my best.”

#5 Virginia 4, #12 Stanford 2
May 11, 2019 at Charlottesville, Virginia
Doubles Results
1. No. 33 Henrik Wiersholm/Brandon Nakashima (UVA) d. No. 21 Axel Geller/Alexandre Rotsaert 6-2
2. Sameer Kumar/Timothy Sah (STAN) led Carl Soderlund/Aswin Lizen (UVA) 5-2
3. Gianni Ross/William Woodall (UVA) d. Jack Barber/Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) 6-4
Singles Results
1. No. 3 Carl Soderlund (UVA) d. No. 13 Axel Geller (STAN) 6-0, 5-7, 6-1
2. No. 82 Brandon Nakashima (UVA) d. No. 63 Alexandre Rotsaert (STAN) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
3. No. 114 Henrik Wiersholm (UVA) led No. 91 William Genesen (STAN) vs. 7-6 (3), 5-5, UNF
4. Sameer Kumar (STAN) d. Gianni Ross (UVA) 6-4, 6-1
5. Timothy Sah (STAN) d. Ryan Goetz (UVA) 6-4, 6-1
6. Aswin Lizen (UVA) d. Sangeet Sridhar (STAN) 7-6 (5), 6-2
Match Notes
Virginia 24-4; National ranking #5
Stanford 19-7; National ranking #12
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,5,6,2,1)

 

Top-seeded Ohio State advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the fourth year in a row with a 4-1 win over Ivy League Champion Columbia. The Buckeyes took the doubles point for the 32nd time in 34 matches with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and then added four opening sets in singles. 

Hunter Tubert made it 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 6 but Columbia got on the board with a 6-4, 6-3 win by Timothy Wang at No. 5. Wang’s opponent, Alex Kobelt, entered the match with a 20-1 dual-match record. 

JJ Wolf put the Buckeyes a point away with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 1 and John McNally clinched at No. 2 with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Jack Lin. 

Ohio State has highlights available at this link – wasn’t able to embed on this page. 

“I think we accomplished everything we had wanted to at the beginning of the year,” said Columbia head coach Bid Goswami after the match. “The boys were unbelievable. They stayed top 20 the whole year, won the Ivies, won two big matches at National Indoors and had a good favorable draw in the NCAAs, but to come here and play, we didn’t back down.” 

#1 Ohio State 4, #16 Columbia 1
May 11, 2019 at Columbus, Ohio (Varsity Tennis Center)
Singles Competition
1. #2 JJ Wolf (OSU) def. #37 Victor Pham (CU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
2. #26 John McNally (OSU) def. #22 Jack Lin (CU) 6-3, 7-5
3. #60 Kyle Seelig (OSU) vs. #107 Adam Ambrozy (CU) 7-5, 3-6, 0-1, unfinished
4. #111 Martin Joyce (OSU) vs. #117 Rian Pandole (CU) 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 1-2, unfinished
5. Timothy Wang (CU) def. Alex Kobelt (OSU) 6-4, 6-3
6. Hunter Tubert (OSU) def. Austen Huang (CU) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles Competition
1. #23 JJ Wolf/Martin Joyce (OSU) def. #30 Jack Lin/William Matheson (CU) 6-2
2. #51 Alex Kobelt/Kyle Seelig (OSU) vs. Rian Pandole/Victor Pham (CU) 5-5, unfinished
3. Hunter Tubert/John McNally (OSU) def. Adam Ambrozy/Jason Lui (CU) 6-3
Match Notes:
Columbia 19-4; National ranking #16
Ohio State 32-2; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,5,1,2)
T-2:40 A-670

 

Texas advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 16th time in school history after rolling over No. 24 Cal 4-0. The Longhorns took the doubles point with quick wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and then added five first sets in singles (match at No. 3 never made it out of the first set). 

Christian Sigsgaard, Yuya Ito, and Harrison Scott won in straight sets at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 with Ito’s 6-3, 6-3 win the clincher. 

“It’s not easy to get to this point,” interim head coach Bruce Berque said. “To get to the final site was hard enough in previous years when you only had to reach the sweet 16. This year, you had to reach the final eight. These guys worked hard, and they competed hard just like they have all year, and they earned it. For these five seniors to have one more opportunity to play in front of their home crowd was really meaningful for them.”

“I’m so proud of our guys and what our team accomplished this season,” said Peter Wright, Cal’s Director of Men’s Tennis. “We had challenges, and we faced them together. We made mistakes, but we didn’t let them get us down. We were one loss from not qualifying for NCAAs, and here we are in the sweet 16. We did it together, and I’m looking forward to the future with these guys. As of today, we’re no longer a young team. We’ve grown up a lot this year, and we’re excited about what lies ahead. I can’t say it enough this is a special team, and I’m thrilled we have them back next year.”

#2 Texas 4, #24 California 0
May 11, 2019 at Austin, Texas (Texas Tennis Center)
Singles Competition
1. #7 Christian Sigsgaard (UT) def. Yuta Kikuchi (CAL) 6-2, 6-4
2. #12 Yuya Ito (UT) def. Jack Molloy (CAL) 6-3, 6-3
3. #80 Leonardo Telles (UT) vs. Paul Barretto (CAL) 6-6, (4-2) unfinished
4. #55 Harrison Scott (UT) def. Ben Draper (CAL) 6-3, 6-3
5. Colin Markes (UT) vs. Jacob Brumm (CAL) 6-1, 5-4, unfinished
6. Rodrigo Banzer (UT) vs. Bjorn Hoffmann (CAL) 6-3, 1-6, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. #5 Harrison Scott/Christian Sigsgaard (UT) def. #28 Yuta Kikuchi/Jacob Brumm (CAL) 6-3
2. Colin Markes/Leonardo Telles (UT) vs. Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (CAL) 5-3, unfinished
3. Chih Chi Huang/Yuya Ito (UT) def. Jack Molloy/Ben Draper (CAL) 6-1
Match Notes:
California 16-13; National ranking #24
Texas 26-3; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,1,2)

 

Top ranked and No. 2 seed North Carolina held on to defeat No. 15 Oklahoma State 4-2. The Tar Heels won a close doubles point and then after four fairly lopsided matches in singles the score stood at 3-2 UNC. While Oklahoma State’s Bunyawi Thamchaiwat led 4-1 in the third at No. 4, UNC’s Makenna Jones would roll through the final set and clinch with  6-7, 6-4, 6-0 win. 

“Lisa played really well,” OSU head coach Chris Young said. “We learned a few things the first time we played, and Lisa played with a great identity and great strategy. She was very coachable and made the plays and adjustments at the right time.”

“I think we accomplished some really great things getting to this round is obviously an accomplishment” Young said. “Today we were right there with the best team in the country, and I think this team had the potential to beat anyone when we were playing our best.”

#2 North Carolina 4, #15 Oklahoma State 2
May 05, 2019 at Chapel Hill, N.C. (Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
Singles Competition
1. #5 Makenna Jones (UNC) def. #25 Katarina Stresnakova (OSU) 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-0
2. Lisa Marie Rioux (OSU) def. #7 Alexa Graham (UNC) 6-4, 6-3
3. #20 Sara Daavettila (UNC) def. Marina Guinart (OSU) 6-2, 6-0
4. #46 Cameron Morra (UNC) vs. Bunyawi Thamchaiwat (OSU) 7-5, 4-6, 1-4, unfinished
5. Jessie Aney (UNC) def. Sofia Blanco (OSU) 6-1, 6-3
6. Catherine Gulihur (OSU) def. Alle Sanford (UNC) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. #31 Blanco/Gulihur (OSU) def. #2 Aney/Graham (UNC) 6-4
2. #12 Jones/Morra (UNC) def. Stresnakova/Guinart (OSU) 6-4
3. Daavettila/Sanford (UNC) def. Thamchaiwat/Tamara Arnold (OSU) 7-5
Match Notes
North Carolina 31-1; National ranking #2
Oklahoma State 21-8; National ranking #15
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (3,6,5,2,1)

 

Top seed Georgia got a stiff test against No. 16 Michigan but prevailed 4-2. The Bulldogs dropped the doubles point for just the fifth time this year but they came back in singles and took five opening sets. 

Marta Gonzalez, Lourdes Carle, Elena Christofi, and Meg Kowalski won in straight sets at No. 2, No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6 with Gonzalez clinching at No. 2 with a 7-5, 7-5 win. Michigan’s lone singles win came in a top 3 showdown at No. 1 singles with Kate Fahey taking out Katarina Jokic 6-0, 6-4. 

John Frierson wrote an article about the match, which was also the final match to be played at the Henry Feild Stadium Grandstand which will be torn down in the next month to make way for a brand-new stadium, so make sure you give it a read at this link.

“First thing I’d really like to say is I think Michigan has a great team and great program,” Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace said. “They’re well-coached, and it was a heck of a match. The second thing I’ll say is our fans were amazing today. The atmosphere here was just incredible. I’m super proud of our team and what they’ve accomplished this year in getting us to this Elite Eight, and the fact that this was the last match of the year here at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, that’s always emotional and sad for us because it’s such a great place to play.”

#2 Georgia 4, #16 Michigan 2
May 11, 2019 at Athens, Ga. (Dan Magill Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. #3 Kate Fahey (U-M) def. #2 Katarina Jokic (UGA) 6-0, 6-4
2. #19 Marta Gonzalez (UGA) def. #80 Giulia Pairone (U-M) 7-5, 7-5
3. #69 Lourdes Carle (UGA) def. #50 Brienne Minor (U-M) 6-3, 6-3
4. #72 Vivian Wolff (UGA) vs. #49 Chiara Lommer (U-M) 6-4, 4-6, unfinished
5. Elena Christofi (UGA) def. Alyvia Jones (U-M) 6-0, 6-3
6. #122 Meg Kowalski (UGA) def. Anca Craciun (U-M) 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)
Doubles competition
1. #37 Kate Fahey/Brienne Minor (U-M) def. #28 Lourdes Carle/Katarina Jokic (UGA) 6-3
2. Vivian Wolff/Elena Christofi (UGA) def. Giulia Pairone/Anca Craciun (U-M) 6-3
3. Lera Patiuk/Alyvia Jones (U-M) def. Meg Kowalski/Marta Gonzalez (UGA) 6-3
Match Notes:
Michigan 20-6; National ranking #16
Georgia 26-1; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,3,1,6,2)
#1 Seed Georgia vs. #16 seed Michigan
Play moved up due to weather forthcoming
T-3:44

 

South Carolina advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009 with a dominating 4-0 win over No. 13 USC. The starting time of the match was moved up 5 hours from 2 pm eastern to 9 am eastern (6 am pacific) due to expected afternoon rain and the early start obviously didn’t help the west coast Trojans but in the end South Carolina was just too good.

The Gamecocks jumped out to a 1-0 lead after claiming the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2. The match at No. 1 doubles was a top 3 showdown between USC’s #1 Angela Kulikov/Rianna Valdes and South Carolina’s #3 Ingrid Gamarra-Martins/Mia Horvit but it was all Carolina with Gamarra-Martins and Horvit rolling to a 6-1 win. 

In singles, South Carolina took five opening sets and they’d close out three of those in straight sets. Rachel Rohrabacher made quick work of her opponent at No. 6 with a 6-1, 6-1 win and then Mia Horvit and Ingrid Gamarra-Martins finished within seconds of each other at No. 3 and No. 1 to close it out.

“They fought hard, but I think we were just a little too tough (Saturday),” South Carolina head coach Kevin Epley said. “Ingrid (Martins) and Mia (Horvit) committed to being aggressive. Rachel (Rohrabacher) getting off the court early was really big, putting another point on the board. You get two on the board and you can see the finish line and she did that in pretty short order.

“Across the board I think we did pretty well. Ingrid came out and didn’t back off at all. Mia found her game. When we’re rolling in those spots it’s really tough (to beat us).”

“I am so proud of our team, this is a team that is so young and has been able to accomplish so much,” Texas A&M head coach Mark Weaver said. “The preseason SEC poll had us ninth going into the season and I don’t think any team improved more than we did throughout this season. Today stings, anytime the season ends whether it was a great year like we had or a not so great year it always stings to see a season come to an end. We are so happy with the team and we have a great group of student-athletes that love tennis and were on a mission all season.”

“We did some great things and we were not that far off today,” Weaver said. “I know the score read 4-0, but with a couple points going our way in doubles we could have easily started off up 1-0. If we had played those big points a little bit better in a couple of those matches then who knows what might have happened today. All credit to Vanderbilt today, they have a team that is playing with a bit more experience than us after playing in the national championship last season. The longer you play in the tournament, the bigger each of those moments get. The great news is that we gained that experience this season and I know we can reach new heights next season.”

#4 South Carolina 4, #13 USC 0
May 11, 2019, at Columbia, SC
Singles Competition
1. No. 4 Ingrid Gamarra-Martins (S.C) def. #51 Salma Ewing (USC) 6-2, 6-1
2. No. 17 Paige Cline (S.C) vs. #83 Angela Kulikov (USC) 6-3, 2-4, unfinished
3. No. 81 Mia Horvit (S.C) def. Ana Neffa (USC) 6-4, 6-3
4. Rianna Valdes (USC) vs. Megan Davies (S.C) 1-6, 6-1, *1-0 (0/15), unfinished
5. Danielle Willson (USC) vs. Silvia Chinellato (S.C) 6-3, 4-6, unfinished
6. Rachel Rohrabacher (S.C) def. Becca Weissmann (USC) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. #3 Ingrid Gamarra-Martins/Mia Horvit (S.C) def. #1 Angela Kulikov/Rianna Valdes (USC) 6-1
2. #39 Megan Davies/Rachel Rohrabacher (USC) def. Becca Weissmann/Danielle Willson (USC) 7-5
3. Paige Cline/Kennedy Wicker (S.C) vs. Constance Branstine/Ana Neffa (USC) 5-5, unfinished
Match Notes
USC 17-11; National ranking #13
South Carolina 23-3; National ranking #4
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (6,3,1)

 

Vanderbilt is headed back to the quarterfinals for the fourth year in a row after a 4-0 win over No. 18 Texas A&M. The Commodores won the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 and then the teams split first sets in singles. 

Vanderbilt really it took it to Texas A&M in the second sets with the Commodores taking all six which included closing out the matches at No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6. 

Christina Rosca was off the court first with a 6-3, 6-0 win at No. 3 and then Emily Smith made it 3-0 with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 6. Carolyn Campana would close it out at No. 5 with a 7-5, 6-4 win to set up another SEC showdown next Friday against top seed Georgia. 

#8 Vanderbilt 4, #18 Texas A&M 0
May 11, 2019 at Nashville, Tenn. (Currey Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #64 Georgia Drummy (VANDY) vs. #52 Katya Townsend (TAMU) 5-7, 7-5, 2-1, unfinished
2. #6 Fernanda Contreras (VANDY) vs. #75 Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) 3-6, 7-5, 4-0, unfinished
3. #18 Christina Rosca (VANDY) def. Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) 6-3, 6-0
4. #93 Amanda Meyer (VANDY) vs. Renee McBryde (TAMU) 3-6, 6-3, 3-3, unfinished
5. Carolyn Campana (VANDY) def. Riley McQuaid (TAMU) 7-5, 6-4
6. #117 Emily Smith (VANDY) def. Lucia Quiterio (TAMU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #33 Tatiana Makarova/Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. #38 Emma Kurtz/Emily Smith (VANDY) 6-4
2. Fernanda Contreras/Georgia Drummy (VANDY) def. Katya Townsend/Renee McBryde (TAMU) 6-1
3. Christina Rosca/Amanda Meyer (VANDY) def. Riley McQuaid/Lucia Quiterio (TAMU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Texas A&M 24-7; National ranking #18
Vanderbilt 18-7; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,6,5)

 
Super Regional by the numbers:
Home teams record 14-2 (Women 8-0; Men 6-2)
Record of team that won the doubles point: 12-4 (Men 7-1; Women 5-3)
0 – number of Pac-12 schools advancing to the men’s quarterfinals (first-time ever)
 
 
 
Thursday, May 16th (Men’s Quarterfinals)
#4 Wake Forest vs. #5 Virginia (12 pm)
#2 Texas vs. #10 TCU (2 pm)
#1 Ohio State vs. #9 North Carolina (5 pm)
#6 Baylor vs. #3 Florida (7 pm)
 
Friday, May 17th (Women’s Quarterfinals)
#2 North Carolina vs. #7 UCLA (12 pm)
#3 Stanford vs. #6 Pepperdine (2 pm)
#1 Georgia vs. #8 Vanderbilt (5 pm)
#4 South Carolina vs. #5 Duke (7 pm)

 

 

 

1 Comment

  1. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 5:38 pm