University of Georgia Athletics
Thursday, March 9
Athens, Ga.
2:30 p.m.
University of Georgia
vs
Texas A&M
Georgia Hosts Pair of SEC Matches; Match Time on Thursday Changed
March 08, 2023 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. – The seventh-ranked Georgia men's tennis team will play its first home conference matches of the season this week against No. 39 Texas A&M on Thursday at noon ET and No. 56 Vanderbilt on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The match between the Bulldogs and Aggies, previously scheduled for a start time of 2:30 p.m., has been moved up due to a forecast of rain in the area.
#7 Georgia vs. #39 Texas A&M
Date: March 9, 2023
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, Ga.
Venue: Dan Magill Tennis Complex
#7 Georgia at #56 Vanderbilt
Date: March 11, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, Ga.
Venue: Dan Magill Tennis Complex
MEDIA INFORMATION
UGA Season Stats: https://gado.gs/9xb
Live Stats + Video: https://gado.gs/9kh
Social Media
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Tennis on social media on Twitter and Instagram @UGATennis, on Facebook @UGAMensTennis, and online at GeorgiaDogs.com.
QUICK HITS
Conference Play Continues
Following seven-straight matches on the road, Georgia returns to the Dan Magill Tennis Complex to host its first conference matches of the season. The team begins with No. 39 Texas A&M on Thursday, March 9 at 2:30 p.m. and then plays No. 56 Vanderbilt on Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m. ET. Admission for all matches at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex is free of charge for all fans to attend. Georgia currently holds a seven-match win streak over the Commodores dating back to 2015 and most recently beat the Aggies in Athens by a 4-2 result on March 28, 2021.
The Bulldogs began their 12-match conference slate with a pair of road wins against No. 58 Alabama and No. 14 Auburn, beating both teams by a 6-1 result. Georgia is one of two Southeastern Conference teams to begin conference play 2-0 following the first weekend and is tied with No. 5 South Carolina atop the standings.
Georgia is one of three teams to finish in the top five of the SEC standings in each season since 2019 (Florida, Tennessee).
Diaz's Details
On the team's excitement to play back at home…
"Our guys are certainly excited to play back in Athens," said head coach Manny Diaz. "It's been since the ITA Kickoff, so the team is happy to be at home for about two weeks. It's such a great opportunity to play both Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. Our team has been growing, I believe we've played one of our best matches this year against Auburn in our last time out, so hopefully, we can build on that. That said, we're expecting highly contested and very competitive matches.
On starting the SEC season tied at the top of the standings…
"I believe that, more than anything, we've learned very important lessons to start the young season. We knew that we had to improve in how we handle expectations, how to trust each other and how to play with the freedom that's necessary to be successful. Those are very tough lessons for this group at the beginning of the season. We just needed to find our groove and trust that we can problem-solve. All of those lessons have been important. We knew that the SEC round-robin season is very important, and we treat it like a new season. I was very proud that we got off to a good start, but I continuously tell our team that every match is going to be a huge challenge. There are no easy days. We have to accept that and trust in our ability to play great tennis, and problem-solve when we're not and compete in the way this program has always been known for competing. We're on the right track right now."
On facing Texas A&M…
"A&M has such a great team, they went to the last match against No. 3 Kentucky this past weekend, so our guys are aware they need to play their very best against them. They had the best of us last year, we won't need any motivation because our team knows all of those guys and the level of play they can bring."
On facing Vanderbilt…
"They always play us tough because they're very well coached. This is Coach Duvenhage's last season, he will be retiring at the end of the season. He's been a close friend for 30-plus years. We've seen him do great things, first as a women's tennis coach at Miami and then as a coach at Florida and now at Vanderbilt. He always recruits high-character guys. I admire how he conducts himself and how he leads his team. I'm very proud of the career he's had and wish him the best."
Dawgs in the Rankings
In the latest team rankings from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Georgia moved up two spots and is now the No. 7 team in the country. The Bulldogs completed their first weekend in SEC action with a pair of 6-1 wins on the road against No. 58 Alabama and No. 14 Auburn.
Redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn moved up to No. 2 in the singles rankings riding a three-match win streak with a pair of match-clinching victories. The Fresno, Calif. native is both the highest-ranked player in the conference and the only freshman to have multiple wins on court one. With Philip Henning climbing up to No. 15, Georgia becomes one of four schools to have multiple players in the top 15 of the singles rankings.
Blake Croyder, the team's leader in singles wins with 17, moved to No. 90. With 93 career singles wins, the redshirt senior is 10 away from entering the top 20 in program history. Teodor Giusca rounds out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at No. 101, appearing in the rankings for the first time in the spring season. Giusca is also riding a three-match win streak.
Trent Bryde and Quinn make up the top spot for Georgia in doubles and are ranked the No. 11 pair in the country in the latest doubles poll. This is the highest the two have been ranked together and the career-best ranking in doubles for Quinn. The tandem has won six matches this season on court one, including three point-clinching victories, and has won three straight.
Lineup Consistency
At the ITA National Team Indoor Championships from Feb. 17-19, Coach Diaz fielded his fourth different singles lineup of the season for the team's three matches, with the team going 4-1 in five matches since the change. No. 90 Croyder moved to court four, winning three matches including a ranked win, while No. 101 Giusca appeared at the fifth position, going 4-1 since including three straight.
In singles, a combination of No. 2 Quinn, No. 15 Henning, Trent Bryde, No. 90 Croyder, No. 101 Giusca and Miguel Perez Peña has appeared in all but one match together this season. No. 2 Quinn and No. 15 Henning have appeared at courts one and two respectively in every match.
The Bulldogs have fielded the same doubles lineup in 12 of the team's 13 matches, winning the point in seven of them. Georgia has had at least one win in doubles competition in all but two of the team's matches.
Straight-Set Wins
Georgia has straight-set victories in 25 of the team's 39 dual-match singles wins, good for a clip of 64.1 percent of the team's singles wins. No. 90 Croyder leads the team, with seven of his eight wins coming in straight-set decisions. Of those 25 straight-set wins, nine of them came in matches that were 6-4, 6-4 or better. No. 90 Croyder, No. 15 Henning and Perez Peña all have four each, No. 2 Quinn has two and No. 101 Giusca has one.
Last Year, Best Year
Six of Georgia's eight wins this season have been clinched by seniors. Bryde has four, most recently clinching the team's win at No. 58 Alabama over Matias Ponce De Leon. Henning claims the other two match-clinching wins, including the victory over Louisville's No. 36 Fabien Salle, earning the team a spot at the ITA National Indoor Championships.
In doubles, two pairs of redshirt seniors have manned courts two and three in each match this season. Giusca and Henning as well as Croyder and Britton Johnston both have six victories on courts two and three respectively. Croyder and Johnston lead the team in doubles wins together this year with 12.
Four of the six Bulldogs to have at least five wins in the dual match season are also seniors, with Bryde, No. 90 Croyder, No. 101 Giusca and No. 15 Henning all reaching the mark. Bryde and No. 90 Croyder are tied for the team lead in dual match wins with eight each.
Scouting the Aggies
Texas A&M, the nation's 39th-ranked team, has four players ranked in singles. No. 31 Noah Schachter is the team's highest-ranked player and is 5-2 on court one. Raphael Perot, the team's choice for the second position, is the only other athlete ranked in the top 70 for the Aggies and is 5-2 in dual-match play. No. 100 Pierce Rollins and No. 109 Trey Hilderbrand round out the rankings for the team and typically compete on courts five and four respectively. Texas A&M has one ranked doubles team in No. 78 Hilderbrand and Schachter, going 5-4 on court one together.
Scouting the Commodores
Vanderbilt is currently ranked No. 56 and reentered the poll after beating Arkansas and falling to South Carolina. The team has had no ranked players since Sept. 6, 2022, where the Commodores' frequent choice for court one, Joubert Klopper, was the lone player in the singles poll at No. 59. Siim Troost and Michael Ross were the No. 38 doubles team in the poll but have not played in a dual match together this season.
Series History
Georgia vs. Texas A&M – Tied, 7-7
Georgia vs. Vanderbilt – UGA leads, 58-5
#7 Georgia vs. #39 Texas A&M
Date: March 9, 2023
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, Ga.
Venue: Dan Magill Tennis Complex
#7 Georgia at #56 Vanderbilt
Date: March 11, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, Ga.
Venue: Dan Magill Tennis Complex
MEDIA INFORMATION
UGA Season Stats: https://gado.gs/9xb
Live Stats + Video: https://gado.gs/9kh
Social Media
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Men's Tennis on social media on Twitter and Instagram @UGATennis, on Facebook @UGAMensTennis, and online at GeorgiaDogs.com.
QUICK HITS
Conference Play Continues
Following seven-straight matches on the road, Georgia returns to the Dan Magill Tennis Complex to host its first conference matches of the season. The team begins with No. 39 Texas A&M on Thursday, March 9 at 2:30 p.m. and then plays No. 56 Vanderbilt on Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m. ET. Admission for all matches at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex is free of charge for all fans to attend. Georgia currently holds a seven-match win streak over the Commodores dating back to 2015 and most recently beat the Aggies in Athens by a 4-2 result on March 28, 2021.
The Bulldogs began their 12-match conference slate with a pair of road wins against No. 58 Alabama and No. 14 Auburn, beating both teams by a 6-1 result. Georgia is one of two Southeastern Conference teams to begin conference play 2-0 following the first weekend and is tied with No. 5 South Carolina atop the standings.
Georgia is one of three teams to finish in the top five of the SEC standings in each season since 2019 (Florida, Tennessee).
Diaz's Details
On the team's excitement to play back at home…
"Our guys are certainly excited to play back in Athens," said head coach Manny Diaz. "It's been since the ITA Kickoff, so the team is happy to be at home for about two weeks. It's such a great opportunity to play both Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. Our team has been growing, I believe we've played one of our best matches this year against Auburn in our last time out, so hopefully, we can build on that. That said, we're expecting highly contested and very competitive matches.
On starting the SEC season tied at the top of the standings…
"I believe that, more than anything, we've learned very important lessons to start the young season. We knew that we had to improve in how we handle expectations, how to trust each other and how to play with the freedom that's necessary to be successful. Those are very tough lessons for this group at the beginning of the season. We just needed to find our groove and trust that we can problem-solve. All of those lessons have been important. We knew that the SEC round-robin season is very important, and we treat it like a new season. I was very proud that we got off to a good start, but I continuously tell our team that every match is going to be a huge challenge. There are no easy days. We have to accept that and trust in our ability to play great tennis, and problem-solve when we're not and compete in the way this program has always been known for competing. We're on the right track right now."
On facing Texas A&M…
"A&M has such a great team, they went to the last match against No. 3 Kentucky this past weekend, so our guys are aware they need to play their very best against them. They had the best of us last year, we won't need any motivation because our team knows all of those guys and the level of play they can bring."
On facing Vanderbilt…
"They always play us tough because they're very well coached. This is Coach Duvenhage's last season, he will be retiring at the end of the season. He's been a close friend for 30-plus years. We've seen him do great things, first as a women's tennis coach at Miami and then as a coach at Florida and now at Vanderbilt. He always recruits high-character guys. I admire how he conducts himself and how he leads his team. I'm very proud of the career he's had and wish him the best."
Dawgs in the Rankings
In the latest team rankings from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Georgia moved up two spots and is now the No. 7 team in the country. The Bulldogs completed their first weekend in SEC action with a pair of 6-1 wins on the road against No. 58 Alabama and No. 14 Auburn.
Redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn moved up to No. 2 in the singles rankings riding a three-match win streak with a pair of match-clinching victories. The Fresno, Calif. native is both the highest-ranked player in the conference and the only freshman to have multiple wins on court one. With Philip Henning climbing up to No. 15, Georgia becomes one of four schools to have multiple players in the top 15 of the singles rankings.
Blake Croyder, the team's leader in singles wins with 17, moved to No. 90. With 93 career singles wins, the redshirt senior is 10 away from entering the top 20 in program history. Teodor Giusca rounds out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at No. 101, appearing in the rankings for the first time in the spring season. Giusca is also riding a three-match win streak.
Trent Bryde and Quinn make up the top spot for Georgia in doubles and are ranked the No. 11 pair in the country in the latest doubles poll. This is the highest the two have been ranked together and the career-best ranking in doubles for Quinn. The tandem has won six matches this season on court one, including three point-clinching victories, and has won three straight.
Lineup Consistency
At the ITA National Team Indoor Championships from Feb. 17-19, Coach Diaz fielded his fourth different singles lineup of the season for the team's three matches, with the team going 4-1 in five matches since the change. No. 90 Croyder moved to court four, winning three matches including a ranked win, while No. 101 Giusca appeared at the fifth position, going 4-1 since including three straight.
In singles, a combination of No. 2 Quinn, No. 15 Henning, Trent Bryde, No. 90 Croyder, No. 101 Giusca and Miguel Perez Peña has appeared in all but one match together this season. No. 2 Quinn and No. 15 Henning have appeared at courts one and two respectively in every match.
The Bulldogs have fielded the same doubles lineup in 12 of the team's 13 matches, winning the point in seven of them. Georgia has had at least one win in doubles competition in all but two of the team's matches.
Straight-Set Wins
Georgia has straight-set victories in 25 of the team's 39 dual-match singles wins, good for a clip of 64.1 percent of the team's singles wins. No. 90 Croyder leads the team, with seven of his eight wins coming in straight-set decisions. Of those 25 straight-set wins, nine of them came in matches that were 6-4, 6-4 or better. No. 90 Croyder, No. 15 Henning and Perez Peña all have four each, No. 2 Quinn has two and No. 101 Giusca has one.
Last Year, Best Year
Six of Georgia's eight wins this season have been clinched by seniors. Bryde has four, most recently clinching the team's win at No. 58 Alabama over Matias Ponce De Leon. Henning claims the other two match-clinching wins, including the victory over Louisville's No. 36 Fabien Salle, earning the team a spot at the ITA National Indoor Championships.
In doubles, two pairs of redshirt seniors have manned courts two and three in each match this season. Giusca and Henning as well as Croyder and Britton Johnston both have six victories on courts two and three respectively. Croyder and Johnston lead the team in doubles wins together this year with 12.
Four of the six Bulldogs to have at least five wins in the dual match season are also seniors, with Bryde, No. 90 Croyder, No. 101 Giusca and No. 15 Henning all reaching the mark. Bryde and No. 90 Croyder are tied for the team lead in dual match wins with eight each.
Scouting the Aggies
Texas A&M, the nation's 39th-ranked team, has four players ranked in singles. No. 31 Noah Schachter is the team's highest-ranked player and is 5-2 on court one. Raphael Perot, the team's choice for the second position, is the only other athlete ranked in the top 70 for the Aggies and is 5-2 in dual-match play. No. 100 Pierce Rollins and No. 109 Trey Hilderbrand round out the rankings for the team and typically compete on courts five and four respectively. Texas A&M has one ranked doubles team in No. 78 Hilderbrand and Schachter, going 5-4 on court one together.
Scouting the Commodores
Vanderbilt is currently ranked No. 56 and reentered the poll after beating Arkansas and falling to South Carolina. The team has had no ranked players since Sept. 6, 2022, where the Commodores' frequent choice for court one, Joubert Klopper, was the lone player in the singles poll at No. 59. Siim Troost and Michael Ross were the No. 38 doubles team in the poll but have not played in a dual match together this season.
Series History
Georgia vs. Texas A&M – Tied, 7-7
- Last five meetings:
- March 27, 2022, in College Station, Texas – TAMU, 4-3
- April 9, 2021, in Athens – UGA, 4-2
- March 7, 2019, in College Station, Texas – TAMU, 4-3
- March 11, 2018, in Athens – TAMU, 4-1
- April 27, 2018, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (SEC Tournament) – TAMU, 4-0
Georgia vs. Vanderbilt – UGA leads, 58-5
- Last five meetings:
- March 4, 2022, in Nashville – UGA, 4-3
- March 28, 2021, in Athens – UGA, 4-1
- April 14, 2019, in Nashville – UGA, 4-1
- April 13, 2018, in Athens – UGA, 4-1
- March 3, 2017, in Nashville – UGA, 6-1
Players Mentioned
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