![Coach Manuel Diaz before the NCAA second round match against Florida State at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Saturday, May 9, 2015 in Athens, Ga.](https://georgiabulldogs.smugmug.com/Tennis-men/201516-Mens-Tennis/Manuel-Diaz/i-hDxkTWD/0/L/Manuel%20Diaz_NCAAReg_JK_1913-L.jpg)
Coach Manuel Diaz before the NCAA second round match against Florida State at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Saturday, May 9, 2015 in Athens, Ga.
The 11th-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team returns to Athens to host its in-state rival, No. 44 Georgia Tech, Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Tennis Courts.
UGA owns a 61-9 all-time record against the Yellow Jackets. The Bulldogs have won 28 of the last 29 matches, including a 4-0 win in the last meeting in Athens in 2014.
The Bulldogs dropped their only match last weekend, 6-1, to No. 12 UCLA in Westwood, Calif. in the SEC/PAC 12 Challenge. Georgia’s match against USC the following day was cancelled due to inclement weather.
GEORGIA ADVANCES TO ITA INDOOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:
The Bulldogs went 2-0 during the ITA Kickoff Weekend defeating No. 48 UC Santa Barbara, 4-1, and topping No. 44 Memphis, 4-1. With the victory, UGA claimed a berth in the 2016 ITA Indoor National Championships, which takes place Feb. 12-15 in Charlottesville, Va.
SMITH EARNS HONOR:
No. 28-ranked senior Austin Smith was named SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 27 after going 2-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles as he helped Georgia punch its ticket to the ITA National Indoor Championships. The Cumming, Georgia, native clinched UGA’s 4-1 win against No. 44 Memphis with a three-set victories against the Tigers’ No. 87-ranked Andrew Watson at the top singles spot.
WINNING STREAK:
The Georgia men’s tennis team owns a 12-match regular season home court winning streak. The streak started Feb. 22, 2015 with a 9-0 win over Furman. The Bulldogs came into the 2014-15 season riding a 24-match winning streak before falling to USC 4-0 on Feb. 2, 2015. UGA has won 36 of its last 37 home matches.
REVIEWING THE FALL:
Georgia was led by Walker Duncan who posted 14 singles wins in the fall. Duncan was followed by Austin Smith with 10 victories, including a team-best three wins against ranked opponents. Sophomore Wayne Montgomery won his second straight Southern Intercollegiate title, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by a Bulldog since John Isner in 2005-06. In doubles No. 1-ranked Austin Smith and Ben Wagland won 12 matches and earned an at-large bid to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships where they won the consolation title.
UP NEXT:
The Bulldogs are set to travel to Charlottesville, Virginia for the 2016 ITA Indoor National Championships from Feb. 12-15. Following the Championships, Georgia kicks off the 2016 outdoor season with a home bout against East Tennessee State on Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. ET at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
For more information on the Georgia men’s tennis team, follow the team on:
Twitter: @UGATennis
Instagram: @ugatennis
Facebook: UGA Men’s Tennis
MATCH NOTES: