University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
North Carolina
Georgia Advances To NCAA Semifinals
May 22, 2016 | Men's Tennis
Coach Manuel Diaz and Nick Wood talk about how proud they are of the team for rallying together and battling today to move onto the semifinals.
TULSA, Okla. - The seventh-ranked Georgia Bulldogs are now one of four remaining teams in the 2016 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship thanks to an impressive 4-0 victory against No. 2 seed North Carolina on Sunday in the quarterfinal round at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
The Bulldogs, who improved to 24-4 overall this season with the victory, advance to face 11th-seeded Oklahoma in the NCAA semifinals at 4 p.m. CT/5 p.m. ET Monday.
This will be Georgia's first NCAA semifinal appearance since 2013 and the 22nd trip to the final four round in school history. The Bulldogs are in search of their seventh all-time NCAA title -- the last coming in 2008 in Tulsa.
"This team has overcome so much adversity to put themselves in this position," head coach Manuel Diaz said. "I'm excited for the fact that these guys have really worked hard to become one of the top four teams in the country. To me, the most rewarding thing has been to be able to see our team come together. We have three seniors who have won four-straight SEC titles and have stepped up to lead this group of guys. We are excited about tomorrow's match. We do not get as much rest, but we are thrilled to be in the NCAA semifinals."
The Bulldogs had to claw back to claim the doubles point as the two teams split at the second and third positions. North Carolina was the first to strike as UGA's Wayne Montgomery and Emil Reinberg fell 6-2. The Bulldog tandem of Paul Oosterbaan and Jan Zielinski quickly answered back with a dominating 6-3 victory over UNC's Anu Kodali and Ronnie Schneider at the second position.
With each team winning a doubles court, things looked grim for the Bulldogs, whose doubles team of Austin Smith and Ben Wagland fell behind 4-2. The Georgia duo fought back, breaking the Tarheels' serve in the next game, before claiming a 7-5 victory.
Up 1-0 after doubles, Georgia made quick work of the Tar Heels in singles. The bulk of the Bulldogs' strong play came at the bottom three courts, where Walker Duncan, Jan Zielinski and Nick Wood all won in straight sets to clinch the match and send the team to the next round.
For more information on the Georgia men's tennis team and for updates throughout the week in Tulsa, follow the team on Twitter (@UGATennis), Instagram (@ugatennis) and Facebook (UGA Men's Tennis).
NCAA Quarterfinals
#7 Gerogia 4, #2 North Carolina 0
Tulsa, Okla. | May 22, 2016
Doubles
1. #11 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (Georgia) def. #27 Jack Murray/Brayden Schnur (North Carolina), 7-5
2. Paul Oosterbaan/Jan Zielinski (Georgia) def. Anu Kodali/Ronnie Schneider (North Carolina), 6-3
3. Blaine Boyden/Brett Clark (North Carolina) def. Wayne Montgomery/Emil Reinberg (Georgia), 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. #26 Brayden Schnur (North Carolina) vs. #17 Austin Smith (Georgia), 6-4, 5-3 DNF
2. #32 Wayne Montgomery (Georgia) vs. #28 Ronnie Schneider (North Carolina), 6-3, 3-3 DNF
3. #46 Brett Clark (North Carolina) vs. #64 Paul Oosterbaan (Georgia), 6-2, 5-3 DNF
4. #123 Walker Duncan (Georgia) def. Jack Murray (North Carolina), 6-3, 6-0
5. Jan Zielinski (Georgia) def. Anu Kodali (North Carolina), 6-4, 6-2
6. Nick Wood (Georgia) def. Blaie Boyden (North Carolina), 6-3, 6-1
Order of Finish: 4, 6, 5
Players Mentioned
