Florida Gators
Auburn
UF Men's Tennis Works Past No. 36 Auburn, 4-3
Saturday, March 26, 2005 | Men's Tennis
For the first time in over a month, the eighth-ranked Florida men's tennis team took to the road as the Gators picked up their seventh-straight victory with a 4-3 win at No. 36 Auburn Friday night to match the longest win streak under fourth-year head coach Andy Jackson. Florida moved to 12-4 on the season and went to 5-0 in SEC play in equaling the 2003 squad, which also won seven in a row. Auburn slipped to 9-5 overall and 0-5 in the league.
UF was forced to come back after dropping the doubles point, which has happened on three other occasions this year (at FSU, vs. LSU, vs. TCU).
Tom George and Robbert Lathouwers defeated UF's Chris Brandi and Greg Ouellette on court two, 8-5, leaving the Gators needing wins on both of the remaining courts. UF's Jordan Dolberg and Ryan Sherry forced the issue with an 8-4 victory over Brett Hunter and Nick Lane at the bottom of the order to snap a two match losing skid and bring their dual record to 10-5 on the season. However, Florida's Hamid Mirzadeh and Greg Ouellette, who entered the ITA poll this week at No. 12, fell to tenth-ranked Gabor Zoltan Pelva and Alex Schweizer, 9-8.
Singles play would be just as close, as the match came down to the outcome on court four. First off, Ouellette evened things with his seventh straight victory, which is tied with Sherry for the longest streak on the squad. Ouellette (No. 32) defeated Lane on court three, 6-1, 6-1.
Lathouwers put the Tigers back on top, 2-1, with a 6-4, 7-6 victory over UF freshman Nestor Briceno on court four, before Pelva (No. 70) got Auburn to within one court of clinching the match. The semifinalist in last season's NCAA Singles Championships defeated Mirzadeh (No. 58) by the same score on court one.
Trailing 3-1, UF needed wins on each of the remaining courts and Obradovic supplied the first. The UF senior outlasted Schweizer on court two, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to win his fifth straight. Sherry also came away with a win in the third set as he posted a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 win against Bachino on court six to tie the match at three.
Brandi came away with the winner over George on court five (5-7, 7-5, 6-1). Brandi's win was his eleventh on the year, which ties him with Sherry for the top total on the squad.
Florida remains on the road as the Gators take on 62nd-ranked Alabama on Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET). Florida is 26-18 all-time against the Crimson Tide and have not lost to Alabama since 2001.
Florida vs. Auburn
Singles
1. 70 Gabor Zoltan Pelva (Auburn) def. 58 Hamid Mirzadeh (UF), 6-4, 7-6
2. 89T Vladimir Obradovic (UF) def. Alex Schweizer (Auburn), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
3. 32 Greg Ouellette (UF) def. Nick Lane (Auburn), 6-1, 6-1
4. Robbert Lathouwers (Auburn) def. Nestor Briceno (UF), 6-4, 7-6
5. 71 Chris Brandi (UF) def. Tom George (Auburn), 5-7, 7-5, 6-1
6. Ryan Sherry (UF) vs. Bernardo Bachino (Auburn), 6-2, 4-6, 7-6
Order of Finish – 3, 4, 1, 2, 6,
Doubles
1. 12 Hamid Mirzadeh/Greg Ouellette (UF) vs. 10 Gabor Zoltan Pelva/Alex Schweizer, Auburn
2. Tom George/Robbert Lathouwers, Auburn def. Chris Brandi/Vladimir Obradovic (UF), 8-5
3. Jordan Dolberg/Ryan Sherry (UF) def. Brett Hunter/Nick Lane, Auburn, 8-4
Order of Finish - 2, 3, 1
