Florida Gators
NCAA Singles & Doubles Day 1
Gator Falls in Men's Tennis NCAA Singles Opener
Thursday, May 24, 2001 | Men's Tennis
Overholser was the team's lone singles entrant and made his second career appearance in the field of 64, joining the 1999 season where he made a run to the quarterfinals. Overholser, ranked 38th nationally, fell by a 6-2, 6-1 score to unseeded Brian Vahaly of Virginia, presently ranked 14th in the nation. Overholser completes a injury-plagued senior year with a 15-12 singles mark overall. He finishes his UF career with a 83-49 singles record and boasts a 93-40 career doubles record heading into tomorrow's NCAA Doubles Championship opener. His 176 career combined wins ranks fourth in UF history, trailing only Justin O'Neal, Jeff Morrison and Mark Merklein.
Overholser and junior Oliver Levant (Paris, France), ranked No. 17 together, have a tough draw in the doubles field, opening against fourth-seeded Amer Delic and Graydon Oliver of Illinois on Friday at 2:00 pm. Delic and Oliver, a transfer from Alabama, defeated Overholser and Levant 8-6 earlier this year during a dual match at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 15 in Seattle. The winner of that match will face either Kloppert and Simon of Texas or Brown and Spracklin of William & Mary in a Round of 16 contest on Saturday. It is the fourth NCAA Doubles field of Overholser's career as he joins Merklein (1991-94) as the only Gators ever to participate in the NCAA Doubles Championship all four years of their collegiate careers. Overholser's 93 career doubles wins stands as the school record in that category.
Overholser and Levant posted a 9-4 doubles record together this year and captured the ITA All-American Doubles Championship this past October 15. It was the first grand slam event doubles title for the Gators since David Blair and Merklein won the 1993 NCAA Doubles Championship. Overholser and Levant were cited as the ITA's National Doubles Team of the Month for October for their win.
Freshman Jeremy Wurtzman (Rochester, N.Y.) was the seventh alternate for the singles field but did not make the draw.
The doubles tournament schedule, revised due to rains in Athens during the team tournament, follows. In-progress updates of the matches will be available all week long online at georgiadogs.com.
NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship Score
Brian Vahaly (UVA) d. Nathan Overholser (UF), 6-2, 6-1
2001 NCAA Men's Tennis Doubles Championship Schedule
May 25-28 * Dan Magill Tennis Complex* Athens, Ga.
Friday May 25: Doubles Round of 32 (Levant/Overholser (UF) v. [4] Delic/Oliver (Ill.), 2:00 pm)
Saturday May 26: Doubles Round of 16
Sunday May 27: Doubles Quarterfinals and Semifinals
Monday May 28: Doubles Final
