University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
Tennessee
Men's Tennis Falls Just Short At Indoors
February 18, 2011 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 18, 2011
SEATTLE --- The No. 14 seed University of Georgia men's tennis team had its chances but fell just short to No. 3 Tennessee, 4-2, in the first round of the ITA National Indoors Friday afternoon at the Lloyd Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle.
Georgia will take on Louisville, which fell to UCLA in the first round, in tomorrow's consolation action at 12 p.m. ET at the Seattle Tennis Club.
The Bulldogs fall to 5-3 on the season while the Volunteers remain undefeated at 7-0.
"We are disappointed because it's not like we're not playing well enough," said head coach Manuel Diaz. "We just don't seem to be doing a good enough job holding onto our leads. We were up a break at No. 1 doubles and lost in a tiebreaker in the deciding doubles match. We were up a break in No. 3 doubles and lost that. Wil Spencer was up a set and a break at No. 2 singles. Sadio Doumbia served for the match and lost at No. 3 singles."
"We're not far away. We're losing to some good teams, but our sense of urgency needs to be a little higher and we need to develop more confidence in crucial moments of the match. If we can keep our composure I think we'll be a great team by the end of the year."
Georgia's Spencer and Drake Bernstein led 4-1 at No. 3 doubles before falling by a final score of 8-4 to Ed Jones and Matteo Fago. It was tied up when the 41st-ranked team of Doumbia and Ignacio Taboada edged Tennys Sandgren and Rhyne Williams, 8-6. Doubles then went to Tennessee by the slimmest of margins as the Vols' eighth-ranked team of J.P. Smith and Boris Conkic defeated No. 12 Javier Garrapiz and Hernus Pieters in a tiebreaker, 9-8(2).
The Bulldogs came back to tie with a win at No. 6 singles as Pieters defeated Jarryd Chaplin, 6-1, 6-4. The Vols took a 2-1 lead as Bernstein fell to No. 119 Conkic, 6-2, 6-4, but Georgia would come back with a win at No. 5 singles as Taboada defeated Jones, 6-4, 7-5, to make it 2-2.
Tennessee then got a hard-fought win at No. 2 singles, as No. 17 Smith rallied from a 6-3 loss in the first set to defeated No. 12 Spencer, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 to push the Vols back in front by a 3-2 score.
Left on court for the Bulldogs was Garrapiz and Doumbia, at Nos. 1 and 3, respectively. Doumbia won his first set 6-2 and led 5-3 in the second, serving for the match. But Fago broke the junior and would hold to tie it at 5-5, before breaking Doumbia again and holding to win it 7-5 on four straight games. In the third, Doumbia would lead 4-2 before Fago put up another late surge to force a tiebreaker, which he won 7-1 to give the Vols the 4-2 win. The loss was Doumbia's first of the dual match season.
On the remaining court, Garrapiz and top-ranked Williams split sets and Williams led 3-2 in the third.
The Bulldogs are back at it tomorrow at noon E.T. against Louisville. Live scoring as well as the Georgia Tennis Live Chat will be available.
#3 Tennessee 4, #14 Georgia 2
Doubles
1. #8 Smith/Conkic (UT) def. #12 Garrapiz/Pieters (UGA), 9-8 [2]
2. #41 Doumbia/Taboada (UGA) def. Sandgren/Williams (UT), 8-6
3. Jones/Fago (UT) def. #37 Bernstein/Spencer (UGA), 8-4
Singles
1. #1 Rhyne Williams (UT) vs. #24 Javier Garrapiz (UGA), 6-7 [2], 3-2 DNF
2. #17 John-Patrick Smith (UT) def. #12 Wil Spencer (UGA), 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
3. #68 Matteo Fago (UT) vs. #31 Sadio Doumbia (UGA), 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 [1]
4. #119 Boris Conkic (UT) def. Drake Bernstein (UGA), 6-2, 6-4
5. Ignacio Taboada (UGA) def. Edward Jones (UT), 6-4, 7-5
6. Hernus Pieters (UGA) def. Jaryd Chaplin (UT), 6-1, 6-4
