Florida Gators
South Carolina
Men’s Tennis Ends SEC Regular Season Undefeated
Friday, April 11, 2003 | Men's Tennis
For the first time since 1975 and the eighth time in school history, the second-ranked University of Florida men's tennis team completed its Southeastern Conference regular season without a loss as the Gators defeated 13th-ranked South Carolina, 5-2, on Friday afternoon at the Sam Daniel Tennis Center.
"Our goal going into the season was to win the Southeastern Conference not to go 11-0," said UF head coach Andy Jackson. "I think it says a lot about this team though that we had the discipline to go undefeated against this league. We have two huge events coming up now and everyone will be aiming for us at the SEC tournament. That is a good position to be in because it gives us a chance to feel what that is going to be like when the situation is the same during the NCAA tournament."
With the win, the Gators moved to 20-3 on the season and in doing so dropped USC to 17-5 overall and 5-5 in the league. The Florida win snapped South Carolina's 11-match home win streak, which was the longest for the program since 1984.
Florida, which clinched its eighth SEC title outright this past Sunday with a 6-1 win over Georgia, ended its regular season conference slate in fine fashion. UF outscored league opponents this season 62-15 and never lost a doubles point. At one point, the Gators shutout three straight conference foes (Mississippi State, Arkansas and LSU) marking the first time a Florida squad has blanked three straight opponents since 1976.
The Gators seized the doubles point when Olivier Levant and Eleazar Magallan defeated Seth Rose and Carl Wermee, 8-2, on court two. The win was the ninth in the last ten outings for the tandem. Matt Behrmann and Troy Hahn also downed Marcus Westman and Geraldo Knorr, 8-4, at the third spot as the won their fourteenth match in their last sixteen.
Behrmann, Magallan and Hamid Mirzadeh put Florida over the top on the scoreboard before matches on courts two and three were retired. Mirzadeh, who was playing at the top of the lineup, took a straight set victory against Rose (6-1, 6-3). Behrmann and Magallan, who also won in straight sets, were playing on courts four and five, respectively. Behrmann defeated Carl Wermee (6-4, 6-1), while Magallan took out Tom Eklund (6-2, 6-3).
Florida will await the rest of the weekend's SEC action before the brackets for the 2003 SEC Men's Tennis Tournament are rounded out. The Gators, which have secured the top seed, will make their first appearance in the event on Friday, March 18. UF will be aiming for its first tournament title since the 2000 season. A championship would be the third for Florida in the 14-year history of the event.
NCAA Men's Tennis
Florida 5, South Carolina 2
Doubles
1. Tom Eklund/Angelo Niculescu (USC) def. #17 Hamid Mirzadeh/Chris McDonald (UF), 8-6
2. #39 Olivier Levant/Eleazar Magallan (UF) def. Seth Rose/Carl Wermee (USC), 8-2
3. #52 Matt Behrmann/Troy Hahn (UF) def. Marcus Westman/Geraldo Knorr (USC), 8-4
Singles
1. # 18 Hamid Mirzadeh (UF) def. #47 Seth Rose (USC), 6-1, 6-3
2. Troy Hahn (UF) def. #56 Angelo Niculescu (USC), 3-6, 6-0, 2-0 (retired)
3. Marcus Westman (USC) def. # 101 Olivier Levant (UF), 2-6, 6-4, 3-2 (retired)
4. Matt Behrmann (UF) def. Carl Wermee (USC), 6-4, 6-1
5. Eleazar Magallan (UF) def. Tom Eklund (USC), 6-2, 6-3
6. Ben Atkinson (USC) def. Trey Johnson (UF), 6-4, 6-2
Numbers preceding names indicate current national rankings
