North Carolina won the big match of the day as they knocked off cross town rival #6 Duke 4-2. The Tar Heels started off by taking the doubles point as its #3 team of Esben Hess-Olesen and Andrew Gores provided the clincher winning 8-5. The senior duo had never played an official doubles match before today but were thrown together after fellow senior Oystein Steiro had to sit out with an injury.
Duke quickly tied the match at 1 with Chris Mengel picking up a win when Esben Hess-Olesen was retired with an injury when trailing 5-2 in the 1st. Just a few minutes later UNC would retake the lead when Robert Kelly laid out TJ Pura 6-0, 6-1 at #6 singles. I thought Kelly would win going in but I didn’t think it’d be like that.
Brayden Schnur would extend the UNC lead to 3-1 as the Tar Heel sophomore picked up his most impressive win of the year when he knocked off #11 Nicolas Alvarez 6-3, 6-4 at #1 singles. Raphael Hemmeler would get Duke to within 3-2 after he scored a 7-5, 6-3 win at #3 singles over Brett Clark.
Duke needed both of the final matches but UNC wouldn’t even give them 1 as Ronnie Schneider came back from a set down to beat Jason Tahir at #2 and just moments later Jack Murray would finish off Bruno Semenzato at #4.
Below is a video clip from UNC:
UNC recap
“Andrew Gores coming here on Senior Day and winning that doubles match was really key for us, and Esben [was key] too, said UNC head coach Sam Paul. “Then obviously we played really well up and down the line, at all the spots.
“It’s great to have Brayden back. He had a big win today. I’m just really proud of my team’s performance against an extremely good Duke program.
Duke recap
#16 North Carolina 5, #6 Duke 2
4/9/2015 at Chapel Hill, N.C. (Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #15 Brayden Schnur (UNC 14.49) def. #11 Nicolas Alvarez (DU 14.44) 6-3, 6-4
2. #24 Ronnie Schneider (UNC 14.20) def. #42 Jason Tahir (DU 13.86) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. #58 Raphael Hemmeler (DU 14.37) def. #71 Brett Clark (UNC 13.77) 7-5, 6-3
4. Jack Murray (UNC 14.06) def. Bruno Semenzato (DU 13.96) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
5. Chris Mengel (DU 13.64) def. Esben Hess-Olesen (UNC 13.47) 5-2, retired
6. #109 Robert Kelly (UNC 13.52) def. TJ Pura (DU 13.45) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #59 Brett Clark/Robert Kelly (UNC) vs. Nicolas Alvarez/Jason Tahir (DU) 6-7, unf
2. Jack Murray/Ronnie Schneider (UNC) def. #88 Raphael Hemmeler/Josh Levine (DU) 8-4
3. Andrew Gores/Esben Hess-Olesen (UNC) def. TJ Pura/Bruno Semenzato (DU) 8-5
Match Notes:
Duke 19-4 (6-3 ACC); National ranking #6
North Carolina 17-8 (6-3 ACC); National ranking #16
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (5,6,1,3,2,4)
Moved indoors at 6:20 due to threat of a storm
T-3:56 A-443
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#14 Ole Miss got all they wanted from #47 South Carolina but the Rebels dug deep after dropping the doubles point and fought back to win all but 1 singles match. South Carolina led 2-0 after winning the doubles point and picking up a win at at #4 singles from Andrew Schafer. South Carolina’s Andrew Adams served for the first set at #1 and they also picked up a first set at #3 but Ole Miss stayed resilient and kept plugging away. Nik Scholtz came back to take the 1st set on 1 and would eventually win in 3, Stefan Lindmark won in straights on 2, Gustav Hansson came back on 3 and had match points up 5-1 in the 3rd, Vinod Gowda won in straights on 5, and Ricardo Jorge won in straight on 6.
The 2 keys moments in the match in my opinion were Nik Scholtz coming back from 5-3 down (I believe) to win the opening set on 1 and Vinod Gowda taking the opening set in a tiebreak on 5. If South Carolina would have taken those 2 opening sets that would have been 4 of 6 and might have put them over the top. We’ll never know because Ole Miss wouldn’t let it happen.
I also find the comments from South Carolina’s coach a little odd. He says the match earlier in the day against South Carolina State took a little too much out of them. Per this release from Wednesday, the match with South Carolina State was schedule for Sunday after the Arkansas match. So why would you move up the match and play it before your match against a top 15 team when you could have played it after a match against a much lower ranked Arkansas team. I’ll be honest I didn’t even know they played this match against South Carolina State earlier today and I kind of pay attention to college tennis. South Carolina made no mention of this match on twitter or even there own website until after the Ole Miss match was played. Strange stuff….I’m sure there was some good reason for moving it up.
Ole Miss recap
“What a great job by the guys to bounce back after the doubles,” head coach Toby Hansson said. “They were very determined and made it a physical match. Stefan, Ricardo and Vinod really gave us a lift winning in straight sets. In the end, we were able to play really well in the third sets and come out on top.”
“It’s always great being the one to clinch, but everyone deserves a lot of credit,” said Scholtz after clinching for the fourth time in SEC play and second on the road. “We need to put this behind us now and prepare for Georgia. It’s a massive opportunity and I have never been more excited for a match in a while.”
South Carolina recap
“We had an earlier scheduled match during the day against South Carolina State, which got us ready mentally for this match,” said head coach Josh Goffi. “Unfortunately, it took a little bit of gas out of us and it showed at the end here (tonight). We were trying to get in, get a big lead early and we did that with doubles. Then (we wanted to) kind of get in and get out with singles early if we could, knowing that our guys might be a little bit fatigued from the previous match. Its one of those things that we had to scheduled in order to satisfy the .500 rule, its where we are in the season. Ole Miss played a great match. They took us the distance and I think they knew that was their goal today so credit to them. We’ll pick it up, reevaluate and move forward on Saturday.
#14 Ole Miss 4, South Carolina 2
April 9, 2015 at Columbia, S.C. (Carolina Tennis Stadium)
Singles competition
1. #16 Nik Scholtz (OM 14.08) def. Andrew Adams (SC 13.40) 7-5, 1-6, 6-1
2. #84 Stefan Lindmark (OM 14.18) def. Kyle Koch (SC 13.77) 6-4, 6-4
3. Gustav Hansson (OM 13.75) vs. Thiago Phineiro (SC 13.44) 4-6, 6-1, 5-1, unf
4. Andrew Schafer (SC 13.55) def. William Kallberg (OM 13.25) 6-1, 6-3
5. Vinod Gowda (OM 12.96) def. Sam Swank (SC 12.31) 7-6 (9-7), 6-1
6. Ricardo Jorge (OM 13.13) def. Thomas Mayronne (SC 12.70) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #39 Thiago Phineiro/Kyle Koch (SC) def. Nik Scholtz/Zvonimir Babic (OM) 6-3
2. Sam Swank/Thomas Mayronne (SC) vs. Stefan Lindmark/Gustav Hansson (OM) 3-4, unf
3. Andrew Adams/Andrew Schafer (SC) def. William Kallberg/Grey Hamilton (OM) 6-1
Match Notes
Ole Miss 16-6, 8-3; National ranking #14
South Carolina 12-14, 2-9
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,2,6,5,1)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,2,6,5,1)
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Texas A&M clinched at least a share of the SEC regular season championship with a 4-0 shutout over #24 LSU. Texas A&M took the doubles point and after winning all 6 opening sets the Aggies got straight set wins from Arthur Rinderknech, AJ Catanzariti, and Jordi Arconada at 3, 5, and 6.
This match also marked the end of an era at “The Dub” which has been home to LSU tennis since 1976. The Tigers are in the process of building a brand new tennis facility which will have 12 outdoor courts and 6 indoor courts. The new facility should be ready for the opening of next season.
Texas A&M recap
“It feels great for our team to have this type of success, Texas A&M men’s tennis head coach Steve Denton said. “Our team really pulled together and is playing with a lot of confidence at the moment. The best thing about this team is that they are really hungry for more. I cannot give enough credit to our senior leadership as well as Assistant Coaches Bob McKinley and Kevin O’Shea along with all of our support staff that make our team success possible.
“We just continue to get off to good starts in matches and today was no exception, Denton said. “We had great doubles today and obviously winning first sets kept the pressure on LSU.
“Jordi is really making significant strides for us, Denton added. “He played great today and Arthur beating Arias today in convincing fashion was huge. Arias has been one of their hottest players coming into the match and we were all really impressed with Arthur’s play today.
LSU recap
“A little bit of today was self inflicted,” said head coach Jeff Brown. “We can’t control the fact that A&M is obviously a very good team and they don’t need much. They are good in a lot of spots without many holes and that’s what we are trying to put together. We just couldn’t get it done today.”
“I have been here for four and a half years now and I really love this place, my coaches, my teammates and the whole LSU lifestyle,” Simpson said. “There is definitely emotion because it is such a big part of my life and I have really matured since I have been here. I am going to miss a lot of people.”
“This team has got some resolve,” Brown said. “We have some goals that are still in front of us NCAA-wise and SEC tournament-wise. Our next opportunity is Sunday.”
“There are a lot of favorite memories as a player including winning an SEC championship in 1985,” Brown said. “There are so many memories before I was even here. As a coach we have had some great wins and to single it out wouldn’t be fair. We will look to carry that tradition over to the new facility.”
“I think definitely sophomore year we were playing [then-No. 6] Tennessee and we were tied 3-3 in the match,” Simpson said. “I was playing [Mikelis Libietis] who was No. 3 in the country at the time. I was a set and 5-2 down before clinching the match.”
#7 Texas A&M 4, #24 LSU 0
Apr 09, 2015 at Baton Rouge, La. (W.T. ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium)
Singles competition
1. #60 Jeremy Efferding (TAMU 14.25) vs. #121 Chris Simpson (LSU 13.71) 7-6, 1-1, unf
2. #64 Shane Vinsant (TAMU 14.27) vs. #76 Jordan Daigle (LSU 13.29) 6-4, 5-5, unf
3. Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU 14.24) def. Boris Arias (LSU 13.51) 6-0, 6-4
4. #55 Harrison Adams (TAMU 13.62) vs. Tam Trinh (LSU 12.95) 7-6, 3-3, unf
5. #78 AJ Catanzariti (TAMU 14.23) def. Andrew Korinek (LSU 13.28) 7-5, 6-2
6. Jordi Arconada (TAMU 13.36) def. Justin Butsch (LSU 13.60) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #13 Harrison Adams/Shane Vinsant (TAMU) def. #23 Boris Arias/Jordan Daigle (LSU) 6-4
2. #41 Jordan Szabo/Jeremy Efferding (TAMU) def. Tam Trinh/Eric Perez (LSU) 6-2
3. Chris Simpson/Justin Butsch (LSU) vs. AJ Catanzariti/Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) 5-6, unf
Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (6,3,5)
A-523
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Georgia cruised past Arkansas 4-0 by taking the doubles point and picking up straight set wins from Austin Smith, Wayne Montgomery, and Paul Oosterbaan at 1, 2, and 5.
Next up for Georgia is a Saturday showdown against #14 Ole Miss with a share of the SEC regular season championship on the line for Georgia. Texas A&M already clinched a share themselves with their 4-0 win over LSU.
Georgia recap
“Our guys are competing for an SEC title, so this is a very meaningful weekend for us as a team and for them as individuals as well,” said head coach Manuel Diaz. “We’ve had great performances by our No. 1 doubles team lately, and they take a lot of pride in finishing strong. Our guys know how good they are and that they can beat anyone in the country if they continue to take care of fundaments and compete as a team and compliment each other and have each other’s backs. They are doing that extremely well.”
Arkansas recap
#8 Georgia 4, #71 Arkansas 0
April 9, 2015 at Athens, Ga. (Dan Magill Tennis Complex)
Singles competition
1. #34 Austin Smith (UGA 14.21) def. #93 Giammarco Micolani (ARK 13.49) 6-1, 6-4
2. #27 Wayne Montgomery (UGA 14.50) def. William Albanese (ARK 12.41) 6-1, 6-2
3. #25 Nathan Pasha (UGA 14.27) vs. Santiago Munoz (ARK 12.86) 7-5, 6-6 (1-4), unf
4. Ben Wagland (UGA 13.29) vs. Jovan Parlic (ARK 12.84) 6-4, 5-5, unf
5. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA 13.67) def. Johan den Toom (ARK 12.73) 6-3, 6-4
6. Peter Bertran (UGA 13.56) vs. Juan Marino (ARK 12.50) 6-3, 1-6, 3-0, unf
Doubles competition
1. #1 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA) def. Santiago Munoz/Branch Terrell (ARK) 6-1
2. Wayne Montgomery/Paul Oosterbaan (UGA) def. Jovan Parlic/Giammarco Micolani (ARK) 6-4
3. Nathan Pasha/Nick Wood (UGA) vs. Johan den Toom/William Albanese (ARK) 6-6 (2-1), unf
Match Notes
Arkansas 11-14 (1-10); National ranking #71
Georgia 18-3 (10-1); National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,1,5)
Official: Clark Weaver T-2:21 A-357
Official: Clark Weaver T-2:21 A-357
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Here is your current top 10 (through Thursday):
| Rank | School | Points | Previous |
| 1 | Oklahoma | 84.20 | 1 |
| 2 | Baylor | 74.86 | 2 |
| 3 | Illinois | 69.58 | 3 |
| 4 | Texas A&M | 65.00 | 7 |
| 5 | Virginia | 64.87 | 4 |
| 6 | USC | 61.45 | 5 |
| 7 | Georgia | 60.16 | 8 |
| 8 | Duke | 59.43 | 6 |
| 9 | Texas | 58.00 | 9 |
| 10 | TCU | 56.56 | 10 |
Texas A&M moved up to #4 after beating #24 LSU while Duke dropped from #6 to #8 after losing at #16 North Carolina. Plenty of big matches left this weekend that will keep shuffling the deck.
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