( Photo by John Kelley )
[su_spacer size=”40″] SO FAR THIS SEASON: Georgia enters the round of 16 with a No. 7 national ranking and a 23-4 record. The Bulldogs have been ranked in the top-10 throughout the season and spent eight weeks in the top-five. UGA has six wins against top-15 teams this season, and Georgia won the SEC regular season title for the 29th time this year, to go along with its nine SEC Tournament titles for a total of 38 combined regular season and tournament crowns – all since 1971. The Bulldogs were 11-1 in conference play, the only loss coming at current No. 20 Mississippi State. The other three losses were to then-No. 1 USC (twice) and on the road at SEC co-champion Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament final.
[su_spacer size=”40″] FIRST/SECOND ROUNDS RECAP: Georgia defeated Winthrop and Florida State in Athens by scores of 4-0 to reach the round of 16. Peter Bertran clinched the first match of his career against Winthrop on May 8, then Georgia cruised to a win against the Seminoles in the second round. Wayne Montgomery clinched the match at No. 1 to send the Bulldogs to the round of 16.
[su_spacer size=”40″] GEORGIA’S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Georgia is 100-32 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with six titles, most recently in 2008. This was the 12th consecutive year that the Bulldogs played host to the first and second rounds, and UGA has advanced to the NCAA Championships each time. In addition to winning six NCAA championships, Georgia has reached the NCAA final seven other times. This is the Bulldogs’ 37th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
[su_spacer size=”40″] INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS: Georgia has three players ranked in the singles top-31: Wayne Montgomery at No. 24, Austin Smith at No. 30 and Nathan Pasha at No. 31. In doubles, Smith has been ranked No. 1 in the country with Ben Wagland dating back to March 24. Wagland is also No. 44 with Paul Oosterbaan, while Smith and Eric Diaz are ranked No. 63.
[su_spacer size=”40″] NOTEWORTHY
[su_spacer size=”10″] » Six different players have clinched multiple matches for Georgia this season, led by Nick Wood with six and Austin Smith with five.
» Until the NCAA Championships, Georgia played all of its matches under the new ITA shortened format, which includes no-ad scoring in singles and doubles, each doubles match played to six with a tiebreaker at 6-all, and no warm-ups with opponents in singles and doubles.
» Georgia led the conference with four First Team All-SEC selections, including freshman of the year Wayne Montgomery. Austin Smith, Nathan Pasha and Ben Wagland were also first team honorees. All four will participate in the individual portion of the NCAA Championships.
» As the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Doubles Championship, Austin Smith and Ben Wagland secured All-America honors.
» Georgia’s freshmen are a combined 32-6 in dual matches this season.
» The Bulldogs have used the same doubles combination at No. 1 in 22 consecutive matches. No. 1-ranked Austin Smith and Ben Wagland are 16-2 in those matches with wins against teams ranked Nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, 11 (twice), 12 and 16.
» Nathan Pasha enters the round of 16 tied with former Bulldog and current Oklahoma head coach John Roddick for eighth place on UGA’s all-time doubles wins list with 100. Pasha is 220-95 in singles and doubles matches in his career, which is tied for seventh on UGA’s career wins list.
» Georgia has played host to the NCAA Championships 31 times, most recently in 2014. It will return to Athens in 2017 following this season in Waco, Texas and next year in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 2018 tournament will be held in Winston Salem, N.C.