University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Wins Back-To-Back NCAA Tennis Championships
May 21, 2008 | Men's Tennis
Bulldogs become first team to repeat in 11 years
TULSA, Okla. --- The University of Georgia men's tennis team won its second consecutive NCAA Championship with a 4-2 win over Texas in the finals Tuesday at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla. Georgia becomes the first team to repeat as NCAA champions since Stanford accomplished that feat in 1997-98. The championship marks the sixth in program history.
The match was clinched by 4th-ranked senior co-captain Travis Helgeson (Overland Park, Kan.), who came from behind to defeat 10th-ranked Dimitar Kutrovsky at the top of the lineup, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Facing a 2-0 deficit after losing the doubles point and the No. 6 singles match, the Bulldogs pulled one back with a win at the second position to cut the Texas edge to 2-1. It was 17th-ranked sophomore Nate Schnugg (Medford, Ore.) who got the Bulldogs on the board as he defeated 41st-ranked Kellen Damico in the second position, 6-4, 6-2. 38th-ranked sophomore Jamie Hunt (San Antonio, Texas) then evened up the match with a victory from the fourth position, beating Luis Diaz Barriga, 6-1, 6-4.
With the match tied at 2-2 and the three remaining singles matches all in third sets, it was 59th-ranked senior co-captain Luis Flores (Xalapa, Mexico) who topped 47th-ranked Luis Diaz Barriga by a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 score to give Georgia a 3-2 advantage and set Helgeson up for the clinch.
Approximately three minutes later, Helgeson used the last team match of his collegiate career to deliver the clinching win and send the Bulldogs into the winners' circle.
The 2008 NCAA Championship title is the first of Georgia's six championships to be won outside of Athens. The Bulldogs won four of the last 10 NCAA Championships, capturing the crown in 1999, 2001, '07 and '08, and also reached the finals two other times, in 2002 and 2006.
Three Georgia players were named to the NCAA All-Tournament team. The All-Tournament selection at the No. 2 position was Schnugg, Flores was picked at the third position and Hunt received the honor in the fourth position. Schnugg was also named the 2008 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Flores (7-0), Schnugg (9-0) and Hunt (4-0) are all undefeated for their careers in NCAA Tournament play. Hunt's win extended his winning streak to 18 matches, as he has gone unbeaten in the last 22 (18 wins, four suspended matches).
Only seven teams in the history of the NCAA's current team format, established in 1977, have won the title. Georgia holds the second-most victories with six, trailing Stanford's 15. The other winners are: UCLA (4), USC (4), and Baylor, Illinois and Pepperdine (1 each).
Diaz has been part of all six national championships. He has won four as the head coach (1999, '01, '07 and '08) and was an assistant coach under Dan Magill when the team won in 1985 and '87.
Georgia begins play in the individual singles and doubles championships at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Tulsa. Fans can follow all of the action at www.tulsahurricane.com
Post Match Quotes
Georgia Head Coach Manny Diaz
Can you admit any surprise at this point with the players you lost from last year's roster and the injuries?
"Honestly, I was out of words after what these guys accomplished tonight. I never felt so awkward trying to rationalize things. Probably today, I did less coaching than I've ever done, in many ways. I saw it in their eyes yesterday. They just competed like true champions. They were probably were a little bit more upset after losing the doubles points than they were yesterday, because they probably realized they didn't play as well as they were capable of playing. The mindset these two captains have really just exemplified tonight exists in all the other guys and that's why we won the national championship. That's why we have worked just a little bit everyday and just come together to do this. It just baffles me."
Did you like the way you finished with Luis and Travis on the court?
"I'll be honest. These two guys are some of the most courageous competitors we've ever had. Until I came over and Travis was going up 5-3. I watched the last couple points of that game. I left him a couple of games earlier and he was down a break 4-3. Dimi (Texas' Dimitar Kutrovsky) was playing great. There wasn't one ounce of let me second guess myself by Travis. He stepped up big. That's what we talked about. Both of these guys made adjustments. Luis, after dropping a 6-1 set in the second frame, totally made the adjustments necessary and played without fear and that's what got us this national championship."
Do you think your team maybe flew under the radar a bit?
"I don't know. Maybe. I said at the beginning of the tournament, and I didn't mean it in any kind of boastful way, that I wouldn't want to play us. Because I knew we were coming into ourselves health-wise with Javi (Javier Garrapiz) all of a sudden starting to find his stamina and Luis (Flores) every day just moving a little bit better. The heart has been there all the way. With all the stuff we've had to endure required a whole lot of strength and fortitude. To overcome two doubles points in the semis and finals, that's huge. I'm not sure that's been done a whole lot."
How do you feel about this tournament being played in the middle of the country and talk about your Tulsa experience so far?
"They've gone way beyond anything that they need to do, and they've done a tremendous job, and really have bent over backwards to really make this a great tournament. The weather cooperated. I remember the last match we played in this facility in 2004 we played in 30 MPH winds and I never wanted to come back. I'll be honest with you. We're not complaining tonight."
Georgia Player Travis Helgeson
On winning back-to-back national titles...
"It's pretty sweet. Last year was unbelievable. This year we had to fight through a lot of battles. To come in seeded fourth or fifth and to win the tournament is something special. To win twice in a row is something special for us."
On defeating Texas after knocking off unbeaten Virginia in the semifinals...
"Being able to win yesterday (vs. Virginia) gave us a ton of momentum. Texas is very tough at spots through the lineup. They showed it today. I was down a break (against Kutrovsky) in the third set but came back. It's amazing how things can turn like that. I focused on trying to get my rhythm and momentum back. He (Dimitar) is an unbelievable returner. I wanted to get the break back and then hold. Once I got up, I wanted to hold it out."
On Texas...
"We knew how tough they were. Going into the locker room after we lost the doubles point, we knew we had a battle on our hands. We knew what they were capable of doing."
Georgia Player Luis Flores
On returning after injuries earlier this season...
"At the beginning of the year, I was playing very good. Then I broke my first foot and within a week broke the other (stress fractures). I was out two months. The toughest part was coming back. We believed in each other. That was the key. We believed."
On winning a second straight national title...
"It was a terrific journey this year. This year tastes a little bit sweeter. It's great the way we competed."
Tennis Match Results
Texas vs Georgia
May 20, 2008 at Tulsa, Okla.
(Michael D. Case Tennis Center)
#5 Georgia 4, #7 Texas 2
Singles competition
1. #4 Travis Helgeson (UGA) def. #10 Dimitar Kurtovsky (TEXAS) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
2. #15 Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. #41 Kellen Damico (TEXAS) 6-4, 6-2
3. #59 Luis Flores (UGA) def. #47 Ed Corrie (TEXAS) 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
4. #38 Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Luis Diaz Barriga (TEXAS) 6-1, 6-4
5. #121 Javier Garrapiz (UGA) vs. Milan Mihailovic (TEXAS) 4-6, 6-2, 2-1, unfinished
6. Miguel Reyes Varela (TEXAS) def. Christian Vitulli (UGA) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #17 Jamie Hunt/Nate Schnugg (UGA) vs. #9 Ed Corrie/Kellen Damico (TEXAS) 8-7, unfinished
2. #53 Luis Diaz Barriga/Miguel Reyes Varela (TEXAS) def. Luis Flores/Javier Garrapiz (UGA) 8-6
3. Dimitar Kurtovsky/Josh Zavala (TEXAS) def. Travis Helgeson/Christian Vitulli (UGA) 8-3
Match Notes:
Texas 25-6; National ranking #7
Georgia 27-3; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,2,4,3,1)
Georgia wins sixth NCAA Championship title and second straight
TULSA, Okla. --- The University of Georgia men's tennis team won its second consecutive NCAA Championship with a 4-2 win over Texas in the finals Tuesday at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla. Georgia becomes the first team to repeat as NCAA champions since Stanford accomplished that feat in 1997-98. The championship marks the sixth in program history.
The match was clinched by 4th-ranked senior co-captain Travis Helgeson (Overland Park, Kan.), who came from behind to defeat 10th-ranked Dimitar Kutrovsky at the top of the lineup, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Facing a 2-0 deficit after losing the doubles point and the No. 6 singles match, the Bulldogs pulled one back with a win at the second position to cut the Texas edge to 2-1. It was 17th-ranked sophomore Nate Schnugg (Medford, Ore.) who got the Bulldogs on the board as he defeated 41st-ranked Kellen Damico in the second position, 6-4, 6-2. 38th-ranked sophomore Jamie Hunt (San Antonio, Texas) then evened up the match with a victory from the fourth position, beating Luis Diaz Barriga, 6-1, 6-4.
With the match tied at 2-2 and the three remaining singles matches all in third sets, it was 59th-ranked senior co-captain Luis Flores (Xalapa, Mexico) who topped 47th-ranked Luis Diaz Barriga by a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 score to give Georgia a 3-2 advantage and set Helgeson up for the clinch.
Approximately three minutes later, Helgeson used the last team match of his collegiate career to deliver the clinching win and send the Bulldogs into the winners' circle.
The 2008 NCAA Championship title is the first of Georgia's six championships to be won outside of Athens. The Bulldogs won four of the last 10 NCAA Championships, capturing the crown in 1999, 2001, '07 and '08, and also reached the finals two other times, in 2002 and 2006.
Three Georgia players were named to the NCAA All-Tournament team. The All-Tournament selection at the No. 2 position was Schnugg, Flores was picked at the third position and Hunt received the honor in the fourth position. Schnugg was also named the 2008 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Flores (7-0), Schnugg (9-0) and Hunt (4-0) are all undefeated for their careers in NCAA Tournament play. Hunt's win extended his winning streak to 18 matches, as he has gone unbeaten in the last 22 (18 wins, four suspended matches).
Only seven teams in the history of the NCAA's current team format, established in 1977, have won the title. Georgia holds the second-most victories with six, trailing Stanford's 15. The other winners are: UCLA (4), USC (4), and Baylor, Illinois and Pepperdine (1 each).
Diaz has been part of all six national championships. He has won four as the head coach (1999, '01, '07 and '08) and was an assistant coach under Dan Magill when the team won in 1985 and '87.
Georgia begins play in the individual singles and doubles championships at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Tulsa. Fans can follow all of the action at www.tulsahurricane.com
Post Match Quotes
Georgia Head Coach Manny Diaz
Can you admit any surprise at this point with the players you lost from last year's roster and the injuries?
"Honestly, I was out of words after what these guys accomplished tonight. I never felt so awkward trying to rationalize things. Probably today, I did less coaching than I've ever done, in many ways. I saw it in their eyes yesterday. They just competed like true champions. They were probably were a little bit more upset after losing the doubles points than they were yesterday, because they probably realized they didn't play as well as they were capable of playing. The mindset these two captains have really just exemplified tonight exists in all the other guys and that's why we won the national championship. That's why we have worked just a little bit everyday and just come together to do this. It just baffles me."
Did you like the way you finished with Luis and Travis on the court?
"I'll be honest. These two guys are some of the most courageous competitors we've ever had. Until I came over and Travis was going up 5-3. I watched the last couple points of that game. I left him a couple of games earlier and he was down a break 4-3. Dimi (Texas' Dimitar Kutrovsky) was playing great. There wasn't one ounce of let me second guess myself by Travis. He stepped up big. That's what we talked about. Both of these guys made adjustments. Luis, after dropping a 6-1 set in the second frame, totally made the adjustments necessary and played without fear and that's what got us this national championship."
Do you think your team maybe flew under the radar a bit?
"I don't know. Maybe. I said at the beginning of the tournament, and I didn't mean it in any kind of boastful way, that I wouldn't want to play us. Because I knew we were coming into ourselves health-wise with Javi (Javier Garrapiz) all of a sudden starting to find his stamina and Luis (Flores) every day just moving a little bit better. The heart has been there all the way. With all the stuff we've had to endure required a whole lot of strength and fortitude. To overcome two doubles points in the semis and finals, that's huge. I'm not sure that's been done a whole lot."
How do you feel about this tournament being played in the middle of the country and talk about your Tulsa experience so far?
"They've gone way beyond anything that they need to do, and they've done a tremendous job, and really have bent over backwards to really make this a great tournament. The weather cooperated. I remember the last match we played in this facility in 2004 we played in 30 MPH winds and I never wanted to come back. I'll be honest with you. We're not complaining tonight."
Georgia Player Travis Helgeson
On winning back-to-back national titles...
"It's pretty sweet. Last year was unbelievable. This year we had to fight through a lot of battles. To come in seeded fourth or fifth and to win the tournament is something special. To win twice in a row is something special for us."
On defeating Texas after knocking off unbeaten Virginia in the semifinals...
"Being able to win yesterday (vs. Virginia) gave us a ton of momentum. Texas is very tough at spots through the lineup. They showed it today. I was down a break (against Kutrovsky) in the third set but came back. It's amazing how things can turn like that. I focused on trying to get my rhythm and momentum back. He (Dimitar) is an unbelievable returner. I wanted to get the break back and then hold. Once I got up, I wanted to hold it out."
On Texas...
"We knew how tough they were. Going into the locker room after we lost the doubles point, we knew we had a battle on our hands. We knew what they were capable of doing."
Georgia Player Luis Flores
On returning after injuries earlier this season...
"At the beginning of the year, I was playing very good. Then I broke my first foot and within a week broke the other (stress fractures). I was out two months. The toughest part was coming back. We believed in each other. That was the key. We believed."
On winning a second straight national title...
"It was a terrific journey this year. This year tastes a little bit sweeter. It's great the way we competed."
Tennis Match Results
Texas vs Georgia
May 20, 2008 at Tulsa, Okla.
(Michael D. Case Tennis Center)
#5 Georgia 4, #7 Texas 2
Singles competition
1. #4 Travis Helgeson (UGA) def. #10 Dimitar Kurtovsky (TEXAS) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
2. #15 Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. #41 Kellen Damico (TEXAS) 6-4, 6-2
3. #59 Luis Flores (UGA) def. #47 Ed Corrie (TEXAS) 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
4. #38 Jamie Hunt (UGA) def. Luis Diaz Barriga (TEXAS) 6-1, 6-4
5. #121 Javier Garrapiz (UGA) vs. Milan Mihailovic (TEXAS) 4-6, 6-2, 2-1, unfinished
6. Miguel Reyes Varela (TEXAS) def. Christian Vitulli (UGA) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. #17 Jamie Hunt/Nate Schnugg (UGA) vs. #9 Ed Corrie/Kellen Damico (TEXAS) 8-7, unfinished
2. #53 Luis Diaz Barriga/Miguel Reyes Varela (TEXAS) def. Luis Flores/Javier Garrapiz (UGA) 8-6
3. Dimitar Kurtovsky/Josh Zavala (TEXAS) def. Travis Helgeson/Christian Vitulli (UGA) 8-3
Match Notes:
Texas 25-6; National ranking #7
Georgia 27-3; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,2,4,3,1)
Georgia wins sixth NCAA Championship title and second straight
Saturday, May 02
Friday, May 01
Friday, April 17
Friday, April 17