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The third-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team ran its winning streak to six matches with a 4-0 road win against Tennessee Thursday afternoon at Barksdale Stadium.
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The Bulldogs (12-2, 5-0 SEC) have won 26 of their last 27 SEC regular season matches and six consecutive contests against the Vols (9-7, 1-3 SEC), including three straight 4-0 decisions.
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“Our guys played very well today,” said head coach Manuel Diaz. “Tennessee really challenged us in doubles, and it came down to a tiebreaker. Our guys got better in that tiebreaker, and that is a sign of a championship team. I thought we did a tremendous job in all of our singles matches, so it was a good day for our guys.”
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Georgia won a close doubles point that came down to a tiebreaker at No. 3 to take a 1-0 lead. At No. 2, The Vols’ Andrew Dromsky and Igor Smelyanski beat No. 70 Eric Diaz and Nathan Pasha, 6-3. The Bulldogs answered back at No. 1 where the seventh-ranked team of Austin Smith and Ben Wagland defeated the No. 2 team and defending national champions Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese 6-4. In the last four weeks, the Bulldog pair has defeated teams ranked Nos. 1, 2, 8, 11, 12 and 47.
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At No. 3 doubles, Wayne Montgomery and Paul Oosterbaan rallied from a 5-6, 0-40 deficit to force a tiebreaker, which they won against Jack Schipanski and Luis Valero, 7-6(3).
“Our No. 1 doubles team had a very good win against the defending NCAA champions,” Manuel Diaz said. “At No. 3 we were down an early break but our guys did a phenomenal job of competing under pressure.”
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Georgia quickly won five first sets in singles, including at No. 6 where Oosterbaan cruised to a 6-4, 6-0 win over Andrew Dromsky. Oosterbaan leads the team with four SEC singles wins and has won five completed matches in a row.
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Knoxville native Nick Wood made it 3-0 Georgia with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Valero at No. 4, then No. 30 Smith clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Hunter Reese at No. 2.
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No. 14 Montgomery and No. 15 Pasha won first sets at Nos. 1 and 3, respectively, and Wagland was looking to force a third set at No. 5 when the match was clinched.
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Georgia players now have a combined 16-3 SEC singles record after going 3-0 on Thursday.
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The Bulldogs will play another SEC road match Saturday at 1 p.m. against Kentucky, which fell 4-1 to South Carolina Thursday in Lexington.
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Tennis Match Results
Georgia vs Tennessee
Mar 12, 2015 at Knoxville, Tenn. (Barksdale Stadium)
[su_spacer size=”40″] #3 Georgia 4, #55 Tennessee 0
[su_spacer size=”30″] Singles
1. #14 Mikelis Libietis (UT) vs. #17 Wayne Montgomery (UGA-M) 1-6, 6-4, 2-1, unfinished
Georgia vs Tennessee
Mar 12, 2015 at Knoxville, Tenn. (Barksdale Stadium)
[su_spacer size=”40″] #3 Georgia 4, #55 Tennessee 0
[su_spacer size=”30″] Singles
1. #14 Mikelis Libietis (UT) vs. #17 Wayne Montgomery (UGA-M) 1-6, 6-4, 2-1, unfinished
2. #30 Austin Smith (UGA-M) def. Hunter Reese (UT) 6-3, 6-4
3. #95 Jack Schipanski (UT) vs. #15 Nathan Pasha (UGA-M) 3-6, 5-5, unfinished
4. Nick Wood (UGA-M) def. Luis Valero (UT) 6-1, 6-4
3. #95 Jack Schipanski (UT) vs. #15 Nathan Pasha (UGA-M) 3-6, 5-5, unfinished
4. Nick Wood (UGA-M) def. Luis Valero (UT) 6-1, 6-4
5. Igor Smelyanski (UT) vs. Ben Wagland (UGA-M) 6-4, 4-5, unfinished
6. Paul Oosterbaan (UGA-M) def. Andrew Dromsky (UT) 6-4, 6-0
[su_spacer size=”30″] Doubles
1. #7 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA-M) def. #2 Mikelis Libietis/Hunter Reese (UT) 6-4
2. Andrew Dromsky/Igor Smelyanski (UT) def. #70 Eric Diaz/Nathan Pasha (UGA-M) 6-3
3. Wayne Montgomery/Paul Oosterbaan (UGA-M) def. Jack Schipanski/Luis Valero (UT) 7-6 (7-3)
[su_spacer size=”30″] Match Notes:
Georgia 12-2, 5-0 SEC; National ranking #3
[su_spacer size=”30″] Doubles
1. #7 Austin Smith/Ben Wagland (UGA-M) def. #2 Mikelis Libietis/Hunter Reese (UT) 6-4
2. Andrew Dromsky/Igor Smelyanski (UT) def. #70 Eric Diaz/Nathan Pasha (UGA-M) 6-3
3. Wayne Montgomery/Paul Oosterbaan (UGA-M) def. Jack Schipanski/Luis Valero (UT) 7-6 (7-3)
[su_spacer size=”30″] Match Notes:
Georgia 12-2, 5-0 SEC; National ranking #3
Tennessee 9-7, 1-3 SEC; National ranking #55
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,4,2)