Monday, May 22
Athens, GA
4:00 PM
Florida Gators
0
vs
4
Stanford - NCAA Semifinals
GATOR MEN'S TENNIS FALLS TO STANFORD IN NCAA SEMIFINALS
Monday, May 22, 2000 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. - The third-ranked and fourth-seeded University of Florida men's tennis team (28-4) lost to top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Stanford (27-1) 4-0 in the semifinals of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships Monday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
The best season in school history came to an end with UF making its first-ever appearance in the national semifinals and setting the school record with 28 wins.
"Stanford played better and you have to give them a great deal of credit," said head coach Ian Duvenhage. "I am proud of our team for fighting back in singles. We just came up short. We had a great year, but Stanford was just better today."
Stanford took the opening doubles point with wins at number one and number two doubles. Stanford's number one ranked team of Geoff Abrams and Alex Kim beat UF's third-ranked team of juniors Jeff Morrison (Huntington, W.V.) and Nathan Overholser (Okemos, Mich.) 8-5 at number one, snapping a 21-match winning streak for the Gator duo. The Cardinal then clinched the point with an 8-5 win at number two for 34th-ranked K.J. Hippensteel and David Martin over Gator sophomore Olivier Levant and senior Justin O'Neal (Lima, Ohio).
The singles was tightly contested early on, with each team taking the first set in three of the six matches. Stanford then grabbed some momentum as seventh-ranked Kim knocked off top-ranked Morrison 6-3, 7-5 at number one, ending Morrison's 14-match winning streak.
"He (Kim) played a tremendous match," said Morrison. "I did not move well and I didn't serve well."
The Gators kept the match close as Overholser forced a third set against 11th-ranked K.J. Hippensteel at number three and freshman Troy Hahn (Indianapolis, Ind.) fought off two match points in the second set at number six to send his match to a final set. O'Neal, who is ranked 10th, split sets with fifth-ranked Geoff Abrams at number two singles, as did senior Dylan Mann (Woodland Hills, Calif.) with Scotty Scott at number five. Levant was up a set at number four after winning the first set tiebreaker over David Martin.
Stanford extended the lead to 3-0, though, as Hippensteel held off Overholser 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The Cardinal then clinched the match at number five as Scott completed a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 comeback victory over Mann. When play was suspended, O'Neal was down 3-2 in the third set, Levant was tied at 4-4 in the second set and Hahn was even at 1-1 in the final set.
"Scotty (Scott) picked up his game a lot," said Mann. "He played well in the last two sets and made it tough on me."
Florida will have three players in the individual NCAA Championships, which begin this Wednesday, May 24. Morrison and O'Neal will participate in the singles draw, while Morrison and Overholser will compete in the doubles field. The pairings will be announced on Tuesday.
NCAA Men's Tennis Championships
Semifinals - Monday, May 22, 2000 - Dan Magill Tennis Complex, Athens, Ga.
#1 Stanford (27-1) d. #3 Florida (28-4)
DOUBLES
No. 1 – Geoff Abrams-Alex Kim (SU) d. Jeff Morrison-Nathan Overholser (UF) 8-5
No. 2 – K.J. Hippensteel-David Martin (SU) d. Olivier Levant-Justin O'Neal (UF) 8-5
No. 3 – Marcos Asse-Dylan Mann (UF) vs. Ali Ansari-Scotty Scott (SU), not completed
SINGLES
No. 1 – Alex Kim (SU) d. Jeff Morrison (UF) 6-3, 7-5
No. 2 – Justin O'Neal (UF) vs. Geoff Abrams (SU), not completed
No. 3 – K.J. Hippensteel (SU) d. Nathan Overholser (UF) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
No. 4 – Olivier Levant (UF) vs. David Martin (SU), not completed
No. 5 – Scotty Scott (SU) d. Dylan Mann (UF) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
No. 6 – Troy Hahn (UF) vs. Ali Ansari (SU), not completed
The best season in school history came to an end with UF making its first-ever appearance in the national semifinals and setting the school record with 28 wins.
"Stanford played better and you have to give them a great deal of credit," said head coach Ian Duvenhage. "I am proud of our team for fighting back in singles. We just came up short. We had a great year, but Stanford was just better today."
Stanford took the opening doubles point with wins at number one and number two doubles. Stanford's number one ranked team of Geoff Abrams and Alex Kim beat UF's third-ranked team of juniors Jeff Morrison (Huntington, W.V.) and Nathan Overholser (Okemos, Mich.) 8-5 at number one, snapping a 21-match winning streak for the Gator duo. The Cardinal then clinched the point with an 8-5 win at number two for 34th-ranked K.J. Hippensteel and David Martin over Gator sophomore Olivier Levant and senior Justin O'Neal (Lima, Ohio).
The singles was tightly contested early on, with each team taking the first set in three of the six matches. Stanford then grabbed some momentum as seventh-ranked Kim knocked off top-ranked Morrison 6-3, 7-5 at number one, ending Morrison's 14-match winning streak.
"He (Kim) played a tremendous match," said Morrison. "I did not move well and I didn't serve well."
The Gators kept the match close as Overholser forced a third set against 11th-ranked K.J. Hippensteel at number three and freshman Troy Hahn (Indianapolis, Ind.) fought off two match points in the second set at number six to send his match to a final set. O'Neal, who is ranked 10th, split sets with fifth-ranked Geoff Abrams at number two singles, as did senior Dylan Mann (Woodland Hills, Calif.) with Scotty Scott at number five. Levant was up a set at number four after winning the first set tiebreaker over David Martin.
Stanford extended the lead to 3-0, though, as Hippensteel held off Overholser 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The Cardinal then clinched the match at number five as Scott completed a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 comeback victory over Mann. When play was suspended, O'Neal was down 3-2 in the third set, Levant was tied at 4-4 in the second set and Hahn was even at 1-1 in the final set.
"Scotty (Scott) picked up his game a lot," said Mann. "He played well in the last two sets and made it tough on me."
Florida will have three players in the individual NCAA Championships, which begin this Wednesday, May 24. Morrison and O'Neal will participate in the singles draw, while Morrison and Overholser will compete in the doubles field. The pairings will be announced on Tuesday.
NCAA Men's Tennis Championships
Semifinals - Monday, May 22, 2000 - Dan Magill Tennis Complex, Athens, Ga.
#1 Stanford (27-1) d. #3 Florida (28-4)
DOUBLES
No. 1 – Geoff Abrams-Alex Kim (SU) d. Jeff Morrison-Nathan Overholser (UF) 8-5
No. 2 – K.J. Hippensteel-David Martin (SU) d. Olivier Levant-Justin O'Neal (UF) 8-5
No. 3 – Marcos Asse-Dylan Mann (UF) vs. Ali Ansari-Scotty Scott (SU), not completed
SINGLES
No. 1 – Alex Kim (SU) d. Jeff Morrison (UF) 6-3, 7-5
No. 2 – Justin O'Neal (UF) vs. Geoff Abrams (SU), not completed
No. 3 – K.J. Hippensteel (SU) d. Nathan Overholser (UF) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
No. 4 – Olivier Levant (UF) vs. David Martin (SU), not completed
No. 5 – Scotty Scott (SU) d. Dylan Mann (UF) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
No. 6 – Troy Hahn (UF) vs. Ali Ansari (SU), not completed
Players Mentioned
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