University of Georgia Athletics
Top-Ranked Georgia Hosts No. 4 Southern Cal Wednesday
March 13, 2007 | Men's Tennis
“USC has done a tremendous job of climbing the rankings with some great wins,” said Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz. “They are coming off of an exceptional victory against UCLA and I’m sure they have a lot of confidence. I think we are prepared and looking forward to what should be a very closely contested match.
“The way our non-conference schedule has worked out this year is terrific,” continued Diaz. “In addition to USC, Baylor is coming to Athens in April. Those are two teams that will play a significant role in the national picture and should be national championship contenders. This should be a real treat for our fans and a great way for our squad to prepare for the rest of the regular season and the postseason.”
Wednesday’s meeting will mark the first time since the 2002 NCAA Championship match that Southern Cal and Georgia have squared off on the court. In that contest, USC ended Georgia’s bid for two straight National Championships in Athens with a 4-1 victory.
Georgia and USC have not faced off in a regular-season dual match since 1981. The majority of the contests between these two teams have come in tournament play, either at the NCAAs or the ITA National Indoors.
Georgia is 9-10 all-time against Southern Cal. The Trojans are one of just three teams against whom Georgia has a losing record (minimum of five matches played). All three of those teams hail from California. The Dogs are 2-13 all-time vs. Stanford and 2-3 all-time against Cal-Berkeley.
Southern Cal is led at the top of the lineup by 71st-ranked Jamil Al-Agba and 63rd-ranked Dejan Cvetkovic who hold respective records of 5-3 and 2-1 at the No. 1 singles position. They also form the Trojans’ top doubles team with an 8-1 record at No. 1 doubles spot.
USC is coming off of a 6-1 defeat of No. 6 UCLA on the Trojans’ home courts. Georgia is fresh off of a 6-1 win of its own, going on the road to defeat No. 26 Florida in Gainesville.
Southern Cal comes to Athens as part of a three-match roadtrip. After taking on the Bulldogs, USC heads back west for matchups at Arizona State and Arizona.
Georgia will have the upcoming weekend off from competition and will get back into SEC play March 23 in Athens with a 4 p.m. contest against Auburn.
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. |
