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The fourth-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships with a thrilling 4-2 victory over No. 5 Illinois Saturday night at the Midtown Athletic Club.
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The Bulldogs (6-1) will face top-ranked USC in the semifinals Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET. A win would give Georgia its seventh appearance all-time in the National Indoors final.
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Georgia won the doubles point, then took a 3-2 lead over Illinois in singles. Matches at Nos. 1 and 5 involving Wayne Montgomery and Ben Wagland, respectively, both went to third set tiebreakers. Both players rallied after losing their first set, and it was Montgomery who clinched the win for the Bulldogs – their second win this season against a top-five opponent.
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“I’m just proud of every single one of our guys,” said Georgia coach Manuel Diaz. “Wayne showed that he is a tremendous competitor, and he just played with such courage and determination. He showed outstanding composure under pressure, and I can’t say enough about him. Austin (Smith) and Nick (Wood) had been carrying us, but the Hiltzik brothers played tremendous tennis today, and the load fell on the other guys and they responded.”
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The doubles point came down to No. 1 for the second consecutive day. Smith and Wagland were facing match point down 5-3, but rallied to win 7-6(4) against the No. 12-ranked team of Ross Guignon and Tim Kopinski to give the Bulldogs the early lead. Illinois took the first doubles match at No. 3, then UGA answered with a 6-3 win by Eric Diaz and Nathan Pasha at No. 2.
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“We were down match point at 5-3 and our guys showed tremendous courage under pressure,” Manuel Diaz said. “It shows what they are all about.”
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Illinois (7-2) tied the match at 1-1 when 23rd-ranked Jared Hiltzik defeated No. 21 Smith, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 2, then Paul Oosterbaan claimed the first dual match win of his career with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Blake Bazarnik at No. 6. The Illini answered with a 6-2, 6-4 win by No. 60 Aron Hiltzik over Wood at No. 4 to make it 2-2.
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Pasha quickly reclaimed the lead for Georgia at No. 3 where he topped No. 37 Kopinski, 7-5, 7-5, setting the stage for Montgomery at No. 1 and Wagland at No. 5. Wagland was down a set and 4-1, but came back to force a third set against No. 46 Aleks Vukic. The two were in the midst of a third set tiebreaker when Montgomery clinched the match for the Bulldogs with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over No. 41 Farris Gosea.
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“Wayne played tremendous just to get himself in that position,” Diaz said. “Nathan also did an outstanding job, and Paul rebounded from yesterday’s match and was terrific today. I’m extremely proud of the way Ben played. He lost his match yesterday, and it was great to see him come back and compete the way he did today.”
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Saturday’s semifinal between Georgia and USC will be a rematch of a 4-0 Trojan victory in the SEC/Pac-12 Showdown two weeks ago in Athens. USC beat defending National Indoors champion Ohio State earlier on Saturday. The other semifinal pits Baylor against Oklahoma.
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Said Diaz: “We play a great team tomorrow – a team that has a lot more rest than we do right now. So we have to get our guys ready.”
Live scoring and live video of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships is available at itatennis.com.
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Additional quotes from head coach Manuel Diaz
On Wayne Montgomery coming back after losing his first set…
“It’s not like I wasn’t worried, but Wayne is a very relentless, resourceful competitor and I knew it was going to take a great performance by him. He was a little off his game, a little nervous and tentative early. That’s a pretty big arena and situation to put a freshman in. I knew that he was going to find his game. He had to get a little more patient and more disciplined with his patterns, but he is such a wonderful competitor that I didn’t count him out.”
[break] [break] On the team…
“What I’m finding out is we’ve got a bunch of tough competitors. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re getting tougher, better and that can carry you very far.”
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“It’s not like I wasn’t worried, but Wayne is a very relentless, resourceful competitor and I knew it was going to take a great performance by him. He was a little off his game, a little nervous and tentative early. That’s a pretty big arena and situation to put a freshman in. I knew that he was going to find his game. He had to get a little more patient and more disciplined with his patterns, but he is such a wonderful competitor that I didn’t count him out.”
[break] [break] On the team…
“What I’m finding out is we’ve got a bunch of tough competitors. We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re getting tougher, better and that can carry you very far.”
Tennis Match Results
Illinois vs Georgia
Feb 14, 2015 at Chicago, Ill.
(Midtown Athletic Club)
Illinois vs Georgia
Feb 14, 2015 at Chicago, Ill.
(Midtown Athletic Club)
Georgia 4, Illinois 2
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Singles competition
1. #17 Wayne Montgomery (GA) def. #41 Farris Gosea (ILL) 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
2. #23 Jared Hiltzik (ILL) def. #21 Austin Smith (GA) 6-1, 6-1
3. #15 Nathan Pasha (GA) def. #37 Tim Kopinski (ILL) 7-5, 7-5
4. #69 Aron Hiltzik (ILL) def. Nick Wood (GA) 6-2, 6-4
5. Ben Wagland (GA) vs. #46 Aleks Vukic (ILL) 1-6, 6-4, 6-6, unfinished
6. Paul Oosterbaan (GA) def. Blake Bazarnik (ILL) 6-4, 6-4
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1. #17 Wayne Montgomery (GA) def. #41 Farris Gosea (ILL) 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
2. #23 Jared Hiltzik (ILL) def. #21 Austin Smith (GA) 6-1, 6-1
3. #15 Nathan Pasha (GA) def. #37 Tim Kopinski (ILL) 7-5, 7-5
4. #69 Aron Hiltzik (ILL) def. Nick Wood (GA) 6-2, 6-4
5. Ben Wagland (GA) vs. #46 Aleks Vukic (ILL) 1-6, 6-4, 6-6, unfinished
6. Paul Oosterbaan (GA) def. Blake Bazarnik (ILL) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Ben Wagland/Austin Smith (GA) def. #11 Tim Kopinski/Ross Guignon (ILL) 7-6 (7-4)
2. Nathan Pasha/Eric Diaz (GA) def. Jared Hiltzik/Farris Gosea (ILL) 6-3
3. Blake Bazarnik/Brian Page (ILL) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Wayne Montgomery (GA) 6-3
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1. Ben Wagland/Austin Smith (GA) def. #11 Tim Kopinski/Ross Guignon (ILL) 7-6 (7-4)
2. Nathan Pasha/Eric Diaz (GA) def. Jared Hiltzik/Farris Gosea (ILL) 6-3
3. Blake Bazarnik/Brian Page (ILL) def. Paul Oosterbaan/Wayne Montgomery (GA) 6-3
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Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,6,4,3,1)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,6,4,3,1)