University of Georgia Athletics
Top-Ranked Georgia Dominates Florida, 6-1
March 11, 2007 | Men's Tennis
“The heat really affected us today,” said Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz. “We haven’t seen temperatures in the 80’s since October. Our top three guys really wore down as the match went along but we are thankful that our guys took care of business at bottom of the lineup.”
Georgia continued its domination of the doubles point, taking the early 1-0 lead for the 14th time in as many tries. First off the court was the No. 1-ranked team of senior John Isner (Greensboro, N.C.) and junior Luis Flores (Xalapa, Mexico) as they took down Greg Oullette and Jesse Levine, 8-2. The point was then clinched by the freshmen duo of Hunt and Nate Schnugg (Medford, Ore.) who defeated Nestor Briceno and Geoffrey Barton, 8-4 at the third position. With the doubles point already won by the Bulldogs, Florida took down the No. 2 doubles match as Georgia’s 9th-ranked pairing of senior Matic Omerzel (Kranj, Slovenia) and junior Travis Helgeson (Overland Park, Kan.) fell to Dan Cash and Billy Mulligan, 8-3.
In singles play, 46th-ranked Schnugg eased past Jordan Dolberg at the fifth position, 6-0, 6-3, giving Georgia the 2-0 advantage. Next up was 34th-ranked Omerzel as he cruised through Mulligan, 6-0, 6-2, setting up Hunt for the clinch.
With the match already in hand for Georgia, Florida picked up its only point of the day as Isner’s 45 dual-match winning streak came to an end at the hands of 13th-ranked Levine. After winning the first set 7-6 (5), Isner was blanked in the second, 6-0. Since the match had already been clinched, the contest was ended with a super-tiebreaker in lieu of a third set. Levine won, 1-0 (11-9). Isner’s streak had begun on April 8, 2005 and spanned three seasons.
“That was just a phenomenal streak, especially playing at the No. 1 position,” said Diaz. “It was a great thing to have but it had to end eventually. Regardless of the streak, John is having a great year. He continues to play very well and be a leader on our team. I think if anything this may take some pressure off of him and he can just worry about playing his best tennis as he tries to start a new streak.”
With the score 4-1 in favor of the Bulldogs, 9th-ranked Helgeson bumped it to 5-1 as he took down Briceno, 7-5, 6-4 at the third spot. 10th-ranked Flores closed out the 6-1 victory as he defeated 20th-ranked Oullette, 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (10-8).
“We knew our guys were going to have an easier time at the bottom of the lineup,” said Diaz. “They did a good job down there today. It is great that our two freshmen continue to win in both singles and doubles. Even though they are freshmen they are very experienced, playing at the highest level throughout their junior careers.”
The Bulldogs are back in action on Wednesday, March 14 as they take on 9th-ranked Southern California in Athens at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The match is slated to begin at 11 a.m.
Tennis Match Results
GEORGIA vs Florida
March 11, 2007 at Gainesville, Fla.
#1 GEORGIA 6, #26 Florida 1
SINGLES COMPETITION
1. #13 Jesse Levine (UF) def. #1 John Isner (UGA) 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 1-0 (11-9)
2. #10 Luis Flores (UGA) def. #20 Greg Ouellette (UF) 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (10-8)
3. #9 Travis Helgeson (UGA) def. #106 Nestor Briceno (UF) 7-5, 6-4
4. #34 Matic Omerzel (UGA) def. Billy Mulligan (UF) 6-0, 6-2
5. #46 Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. Jordan Dolberg (UF) 6-0, 6-3
6. #51 Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Shaun Young (UF) 6-1, 6-1
DOUBLES COMPETITION
1. #1 John Isner/Luis Flores (UGA) def. Greg Ouellette/Jesse Levine (UF) 8-2
2. Daniel Cash/Billy Mulligan (UF) def. #9 Travis Helgeson/Matic Omerzel (UGA) 8-3
3. Jamie Hunt/Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. Geoffrey Barton/Nestor Briceno (UF) 8-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,4,6,1,3,2)
The University of Georgia will play host to the 2007 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, May 17-28. For ticket and tournament information, please visit the NCAA Tournament Information Center on georgiadogs.com. |
