Friday, April 6
Starkville, MS
1:00 PM
Florida Gators
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5
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Mississippi State
Men's Tennis Loses at #17 Mississippi State, 5-2
Saturday, April 7, 2001 | Men's Tennis
In a match that saw three ranked singles players sit out injured, another retire with an injury and a match defaulted due to injury, the No. 17 Mississippi State men's tennis team claimed a 5-2 win over No. 29 Florida on Friday afternoon at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The loss drops the Gators to 9-12 on the year and 3-5 in SEC play while MSU ups its mark to 11-6 overall, 5-3 in league play. It is UF's first loss in Starkville since 1995, a streak that included the 2000 SEC Tournament which Florida won.
In doubles play, senior Nathan Overholser played for the first time since March 11 for Florida after battling both right elbow and back injuries. He and freshman Jeremy Wurtzman were defeated though, 8-5, at No. 1 doubles. That match clinched the doubles point for the Bulldogs after the teams split the first two matches.
In singles play, Overholser (ranked No. 25 in the nation) could not play and sat out, along side two ranked MSU players (Romain Ambert - 19th and Ren?-Charles Combette - 64th). With freshman Ross Greenstein unable to go due to a variety of foot and ankle injuries and only seven players making the trip, UF was forced to default the No. 6 singles match, giving MSU a 2-0 lead. Later on, MSU's Luiz Carvalho would have to retire suffering from cramps during the third set on a 88-degree afternoon in Starkville.
MSU would advance its lead to 3-0 on a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 5 by David Ruiz over freshman Trey Johnson, who due to the injuries was playing above No. 6 for the first time in his career. UF got on the board when Troy Hahn posted a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 3 over Jerome Le Belicard. It was Hahn's fifth win in his last six matches. The Bulldogs clinched the victory though at No. 4 where Mathieu Soto won by a 6-3, 6-4 score over Matt Behrmann. MSU got its fifth win at No. 1 where March's ITA National Player of the Month, seventh-ranked Marco Baron, defeated Wurtzman, 6-3, 6-4. UF's other point came at No. 2 where Carvalho was forced to retire while engaged in a three-set match with Olivier Levant that stood 6-2, 2-6, 4-4 at the time of its suspension.
The Gators will continue their tour of the Magnola State on Sunday when they travel to Oxford to face No. 11 Ole Miss at 1:00 pm ET.
Doubles
No. 1 Marco Baron/Chris McDonald (MSU) d. #40 Nathan Overholser/Jeremy Wurtzman (UF), 8-5
No. 2 Luiz Carvalho/Jerome Le Belicard (MSU) d. Matt Behrmann/Olivier Levant (UF), 8-5
No. 3 Troy Hahn/Trey Johnson (UF) d. David Ruiz/Mathieu Soto (MSU), 8-6
Singles
No. 1 #7 Marco Baron (MSU) d. #41 Jeremy Wurtzman (UF), 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 #89 Olivier Levant (UF) d. Luiz Carvalho (MSU), 6-2, 2-6, 4-4 ret.
No. 3 Troy Hahn (UF) d. Jerome Le Belicard (MSU), 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 Mathieu Soto (MSU) d. Matt Behrmann (UF), 6-3, 6-4
No. 5 David Ruiz (MSU) d. Trey Johnson (UF), 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 MSU wins by default
In doubles play, senior Nathan Overholser played for the first time since March 11 for Florida after battling both right elbow and back injuries. He and freshman Jeremy Wurtzman were defeated though, 8-5, at No. 1 doubles. That match clinched the doubles point for the Bulldogs after the teams split the first two matches.
In singles play, Overholser (ranked No. 25 in the nation) could not play and sat out, along side two ranked MSU players (Romain Ambert - 19th and Ren?-Charles Combette - 64th). With freshman Ross Greenstein unable to go due to a variety of foot and ankle injuries and only seven players making the trip, UF was forced to default the No. 6 singles match, giving MSU a 2-0 lead. Later on, MSU's Luiz Carvalho would have to retire suffering from cramps during the third set on a 88-degree afternoon in Starkville.
MSU would advance its lead to 3-0 on a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 5 by David Ruiz over freshman Trey Johnson, who due to the injuries was playing above No. 6 for the first time in his career. UF got on the board when Troy Hahn posted a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 3 over Jerome Le Belicard. It was Hahn's fifth win in his last six matches. The Bulldogs clinched the victory though at No. 4 where Mathieu Soto won by a 6-3, 6-4 score over Matt Behrmann. MSU got its fifth win at No. 1 where March's ITA National Player of the Month, seventh-ranked Marco Baron, defeated Wurtzman, 6-3, 6-4. UF's other point came at No. 2 where Carvalho was forced to retire while engaged in a three-set match with Olivier Levant that stood 6-2, 2-6, 4-4 at the time of its suspension.
The Gators will continue their tour of the Magnola State on Sunday when they travel to Oxford to face No. 11 Ole Miss at 1:00 pm ET.
Doubles
No. 1 Marco Baron/Chris McDonald (MSU) d. #40 Nathan Overholser/Jeremy Wurtzman (UF), 8-5
No. 2 Luiz Carvalho/Jerome Le Belicard (MSU) d. Matt Behrmann/Olivier Levant (UF), 8-5
No. 3 Troy Hahn/Trey Johnson (UF) d. David Ruiz/Mathieu Soto (MSU), 8-6
Singles
No. 1 #7 Marco Baron (MSU) d. #41 Jeremy Wurtzman (UF), 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 #89 Olivier Levant (UF) d. Luiz Carvalho (MSU), 6-2, 2-6, 4-4 ret.
No. 3 Troy Hahn (UF) d. Jerome Le Belicard (MSU), 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 Mathieu Soto (MSU) d. Matt Behrmann (UF), 6-3, 6-4
No. 5 David Ruiz (MSU) d. Trey Johnson (UF), 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 MSU wins by default
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